Trials And Lies Revamped
by TCoatJackal
Summary: What happens after the Second Bloody Valentine War, after the Peace Treaty between PLANT and Orb? Post-war impacts are not always favourable, even after such a long time, especially when the world's fraught with corruption and conspiracies. What's worse, rumors of Lacus Clyne said to be at the center of a horrible one. Yzak x Shiho & Kira x Lacus(Chp. 5) centric.
1. Just Another Day

_**Trials And Lies**_

_**Chapter 1**_

_AN: This is the first Gundam Seed Fanfic by me and I deliberately wrote a Yzak & Shiho fanfic cause it is not so active... I also love this couple... And I don't own Gundam SEED or any of its counterparts... Too bad for me..._

_**As per my previous attempt at this story, I will use the same format...**_  
_Italics _represents a radio transmission from outside of the character's immediate location, as well as names of ships/mobile suits/vehicles.  
**Bold** represents the time jumps or current location (but I plan to reduce the focus on this, I'm sure it disrupts reading flow, doggamnit!)...

* * *

_**Cosmic Era 74**_

Squinting against the bright explosions of the massive weapon _Requiem_ and the space fortress _Messiah_, Yzak stifled a victorious grin, knowing that one of the larger walls of corruption and deceit had been broken down. He tapped the horizontal controls of his white _GOUF Ignited_ as a screen flashes above his head, signalling to him that a communication channel had been activated._**  
**_

"Finally, its done. Can't believe how many we lost this time," Dearka said softly through the video transmission, his usual mischievous smirk replaced by a solemn look.

"Keep your head in the game, Dearka. We still have alot of work to do," Yzak understood how his comrade felt but now was not the time to feel sorry. Dearka gave a blank look and chuckled before the warships of the ZAFT Fleet shot out their retreat flares. Both of them sighed quietly, navigating effortlessly through the debris of space whilst listening in to the transmission by Lacus Clyne for an immediate ceasefire between all factions.

With his distractions now gone, Yzak took a closer look at the battlefield through his monitor as his _GOUF_ cruises back to its mother ship. It was now completely desolate, with only chunks and pieces of once-glorious war machines floating around aimlessly like wandering ghosts. Yzak thought to himself quietly, feeling a slight hint of sadness for the first time that day. Despite being a professional soldier, Yzak could not resist feeling bad about the devastation he had helped to carry out. The lives, though not innocent, he had taken for stupid reasons like people unable to come to a compromise.

_...Was destroying Destiny Plan the right thing to do?..._

Without finishing his own ideations, a blaring alarm tore itself in through his helmet, shocking him out of his sub-conscious state. Yzak Joule immediately brought his keyboard down from the side and typed through the controls, searching for the possible problems that may had happened while he was reflecting. His monitor showed a possible fire somewhere in his Mobile Suit's engines, most probably caused by overheating.

Yzak was puzzled by this information as he had only operated his GOUF for a few hours. At this instance, smoke started to fill his cockpit, the horrible stench warning him that something bad was boiling deep down inside the machine. Yzak had seen videos of pilots surviving fierce battles, only to be burnt alive in their cockpit caused by inboard fires. He was not going to risk that. An emergency communication channel was immediately opened to the closest ship around.

"Commander Joule to _Rousseau, _requesting clearance for an immediate land and check. Inboard fire imminent, how copy?"

After receiving a green light to enter the ship's hangar, the white mobile suit changed its course immediately and accelerated towards the enormous Nazca-class ship. As his _GOUF_ approaches the ship, Yzak thought of ways to give his piece of mind to the engineers of his mobile suit. However level-headed one may have been over the years, a life and death situation always bites no matter what or how.

"_Commander Joule. Are you alright?_" The screen above him lights up, showing his subordinate in red pilot suit, looking slightly worried through the video transmission.

"No big deal, Shiho, just a minor fire in the engines. Cover for me and get the rest of the Joule Team back to the _Voltaire_," commanded Yzak, trying his best to keep a stern look on his face. He piloted his GOUF into a vacant hangar, wincing at the obscured visibility of the cockpit as more smoke began getting thicker inside.

"_Yes, Commander_," Shiho responded as she went offline.

* * *

It was only after a month that the platinum blonde had time to take a well deserved break. Although he was at a young age, Yzak gave off a frustrated sigh and leaned back on his armchair, looking through the pieces of paper scattered around his table like an old seasoned politician would. He had just escorted Lacus Clyne to the Council Chamber back in PLANTs and was in no mood to talk to anyone. Feeling extremely tired, Yzak released a loud yawn while closing his eyes, feeling the fatigue sipping all around him.

He was about to allow himself some shut-eye when the door to his office opened, followed by the sound of footsteps. He scowled and opened his weary eyes, only to be greeted by the sight of Shiho and Dearka entering the room. Yzak cursed himself for even thinking of giving them the permission to drop formalities when not in public.

"Can you guys at least give me a warning before coming in?" he asked annoyingly, knowing that what he had just said would eventually fall on deaf ears. Shiho took her usual place and stood near the entrance of his office while Dearka sat on the chair opposite of his Commander, legs crossed on Yzak's table. The Commander's eyes twitched trying to fight himself from giving Dearka a good beating.

Dearka gave a content expression and started the ball rolling, "Relax, Yzak. You know we don't do that since the day I found you-" He was immediately cut off by Yzak's intense yell.

"Don't you dare finish that sentence Dearka!" Yzak raised his voice. It caused Dearka and Shiho to jump a little, but they quickly regained their composure, knowing full well that their Commander woke up on the wrong side of his bed that morning. Sensing that his anger had no effects on both of them, Yzak slowly returned to his seat, not even knowing how he stood up in the first place. He decided to stop frowning and relaxed his forehead muscle.

"Well, good morning to you to, Yzak."

"Shut up and leave me alone."

Shiho, who felt left out from the conversation, walked slowly to her Commander's side. "So Commander, what's wrong with your Mobile Suit? I did not have the time to ask you but it seemed urgent enough for you to return immediately to the _Rousseau_," she enquired politely.

"Hmm...nothing much. The engines caught fire, probably due to overheating because I got caught in a space traffic. Is that detailed enough, Shiho?" Yzak said, his voice coated with venomous sarcasm. Dearka chuckled as they heard his explanation, knowing that their Commander is now extremely edgy.

"What's so funny, blondie," Yzak frowned with the rhetorical question. Dearka took it to another level and laughed outloud as seconds passed by, causing even Shiho to chuckle. The great Yzak Joule, fearsome in Mobile Suit warfare, outplayed by an engine malfunction. It wasn't funny to him, but he was sure they just did that to piss him off. Yzak calmly got up and threw a stack of files violently onto Dearka.

"Uaggh!"

Yzak smirked and rubbed his temples gently, suddenly remembering something. He quickly turned to the other two and began briefing them about a routine reconnaissance mission within the PLANT's orbital path. Ever since Lacus stepped up as the helm of the PLANT's Supreme Council, some people...disagreed. Especially followers of Gilbert Durandal's Destiny Plan, or Patrick Zala's 'Eradicate All Naturals' scheme...or rather mostly simple haters of either Naturals or Coordinators, both out to get at each others' throats. Maybe even space pirates.

"We sortie tomorrow morning, so get your squad up to speed. As usual Shiho, you're in my section."

"Wow...and we're supposed to be with Terminal too."

"ZAFT is stretched too thin, don't you listen? Shiho...lets get going."

"Yes, Commander."

* * *

"What the-! Dearka flank him, get rid of his shield! I'll distract him!" Yzak shouted through the intercom. He was getting annoyed of the enemy pilot that was absolutely intelligent at what he was doing.

"_Yzak! What the hell are you do-!? Damn it!_" Dearka yelled as Yzak pulled out a few insane stunts that would kill him if he was reckless. Yzak simply didn't care. He just wanted to destroy these terrorists. It was only supposed to be a routine recce mission, which turned out to be a full blown dogfight between warships.

Dearka, seeing an opening shot a beam and it immediately went through the head of the enemy's Mobile Suit. Yzak finished him off by taking out the legs and hands of the machine, rendering it harmless. Yzak and Dearka panted, but continued the battle regardless. Yzak quickly made his way to Shiho, fighting off a few enemy Mobile Suits. Just like a messy candyfloss, bright deadly beams were fired haphazardly and Shiho gracefully maneuvered through it as if it was second nature to her. Yzak smirked, impressed at her skills. A loud beeping sound suddenly knocked him out of concentration.

"_Alert, unknown heat source to Rousseau's stern!_" Informed one of Yzak's crew members back at the _Voltaire._

"From behind us? Find out what it is. If it is hostile destroy it," Yzak commanded, his voice still level-headed while fighting off a stray enemy. The explosions around were making it hard to concentrate.

"_Be advised, its a Nazca-Class__!_" The crew confirmed with a scowl on his forehead, struggling to catch up with the intensity of the battle.

Yzak cursed a million curses as he heard what was just being said. "Nazca? What the hell is going on, ZAFT got their ships stolen or something? Dearka, can you see it?"

"_What? No, I can't. Are you sure-Argh! Damn it! What is with that light!?_" Dearka exclaimed with a few scratches to his machine.

Yzak cursed and swore at Dearka's untimely uselessness. He proceeded with Shiho to finish off the other Mobile Suits. "Shiho, protect the _Voltaire_! The others and I will engage the-"

Yzak was cut off as he felt the cockpit of the Mobile Suit tremor and began reverberating with a deathly sound of a collision. He panicked. Yzak gritted his teeth as he tried to turn the _GOUF,_ shouting in his helmet what was going on from outside. The young Commander winced once again as he heard a grinding of metal to metal shred into his ears, probably a dagger somewhere into his machine's core system.

"_Commander! Hold on!_" Shiho warned immediately as an her _ZAKU_ began opening fire at the back of Yzak's machine, "_The enemy is__ clung onto you-! Get off damn it!_" The area was glowing, as if the sun was brought to them. He felt confused...then finally noticed that it was getting harder and harder to breathe.

_"A-air! Air is leaking out, Commander!"_

"Wait wha-?! He got my oxygen supply!" Yzak exclaimed as the enemy let go of his Mobile Suit, gracefully boosting away as he caught a glimpse of what seemed to be a shining machine of bright red and yellow, and almost looked like the _Justice. _Yzak gripped his controls in anger as the battle grew to a stalemate due to the presence of the unknown machine, tearing away at Yzak's team like a sword through butter. But...he had other pressing issues.

The platinum blonde blinked and shook his head at his surroundings which was blur and spinning, his head tearing itself with a sickly ache. He could hear his own labored breathing as he tried hard to suck in the much needed air. As expected, young Yzak Joule suddenly felt weak and blacked out as the oxygen supply depleted rapidly.

* * *

_"_Commander? Yzak!? Are you there!? Damn! Joule Team, make an opening for the _Voltaire_ and _Rousseau_. We're retreating, the Commander's out!" Shiho Hahnenfuss, second in command, ordered the rest as she took over. That glowing Mobile Suit really did a number on them, and now they were scattered. The two warships, _Rousseau _and _Voltaire, _quickly averted their current course and began penetrating the enemy's net.

Without wasting time, Shiho flew her _ZAKU_ to the Yzak's stationary machine, floating there like a piece of disposed junk until, it was sliced through the abdomen by that same unknown Mobile Suit. She went wide-eyed and her heart skipped a beat. With a feeling of inevitability, Shiho watched as the Yzak's machine exploded in a bright light.

"Commander!"

* * *

**AN: **_I noticed in the previous attempt of this story that Yzak and Shiho's relationship were too quickly established. So I'm trying to find another angle for this, hopefully I can develop it further in a more interesting & realistic way. Different from the previous version, there will only be 1 new Mobile Suit instead of 3. The 2 OCs will still be inside, albeit less focused. Just as well, I'll bring Kira and Lacus earlier into the story._

_Constructive criticisms are MORE than welcomed, more so in PM form!_

_Also thanks to "autumn's fairy thyme14" for providing me the support/inspiration and character bios for Shiho and Yzak! Seriously, go read up on her "Buttercup" if you're really into Yzak and Shiho!_

_Thanks for reading!_


	2. Kill, Or Be Killed

_**Trials And Lies**_

_**Chapter 2**_

_AN: This is the first Gundam Seed Fanfic by me and I deliberately wrote a Yzak & Shiho fanfic cause it is not so active... I also love this couple... And I don't own Gundam SEED or any of its counterparts... Too bad for me..._

_**As per my previous attempt at this story, I will use the same format...**_  
_Italics _represents a radio transmission from outside of the character's immediate location, as well as names of ships/mobile suits/vehicles.  
_**Bold & Italic**_ represents the time jumps or current location (but I plan to reduce the focus on this, I'm sure it disrupts reading flow, doggamnit!)...

* * *

_**Cosmic Era 74**_

ZAFT Elite Pilot Shiho Hahnenfuss, along with Dearka Elsman, sat quietly with her legs crossed as they waited for their Commander to come around. Despite the easy odds that they faced against during the 'reconnaissance' mission, they were thoroughly beaten and thrown aside thanks to that new Mobile Suit. Shiho quietly flipped through another page of the book she was reading, even though her mind was elsewhere. Dearka noticed this, and sighed before opening his mouth.

"Shiho? You still thinking about that battle a few days ago, huh?" he asked, his voice serious this time as he looked quietly at the young Lieutenant. The girl shrugged his question with a simple 'nope', and continued on reading her book. She was definitely pissed and he could tell. Who wouldn't? Even he would be if the person he secretly admires were to be in a life threatening position.

"I respect the enemy's piloting skill, that's all," she said with a blank face as she turned another page, monotonous and empty. As if her mind really wasn't there. Dearka sighed deeply as he leaned back against the wall, giving up trying to get her mind out of it. He learned over the years they were together in the same squad, that when he tries to get Shiho out of her deep thought, it's like trying to pull a lioness away from her sleeping corner.

So that was that. There was nothing before, or after. Until of course, the much awaited Commander Yzak Joule stepped out of the infirmary. He looked fine, and not on crutches so Dearka held back a grin. Instead he quietly stood up, but not as fast as Shiho did, who quietly walked up to Yzak's side with a slightly concerned look.

"Its okay, I'm alright. Damn that guy. He pulled a fast one on me," Yzak Joule complained, ruffling his hair as he felt weak remains of the headache poking into his brain. He smiled slightly with a word of thanks to Shiho. They were lucky they even got away from the crazy glowing Mobile Suit. The two warships, _Rousseau_ and _Voltaire_, would have been ripped to shreds if it had continued its rampage. But thankfully, the enemy held back. It was also a stroke of luck that the explosions did not penetrate into the cockpit of the _GOUF _he was on. Deliberate or not, Yzak'll never know. That pilot really wasn't human. Even so, Yzak was pissed he was given a stab in the back treatment, literally.

"Yeah. We were really lucky back then. But...Yzak what are we doing in an outpost all the way out here, far away from PLANT?" Dearka asked as they began walking towards the Bridge of the _Voltaire._ Yzak calmly explained as he rubbed his shoulder, that due to them finding a squad of enemy stragglers all the way out here showed high probability that the enemy's main force was nearby. And with ZAFT's intelligence net, they were able to quickly locate it within a few days from their last battle.

Dearka noticed that Shiho wasn't really paying attention as they entered the busy bridge. Leaning against the wall, the tanned blonde began his inquisition into the unknown Mobile Suit. And this sparked Shiho's attention fully. She quietly slipped her seasoned book into her coat as she listened in on what Yzak was about to say.

"There's no such Mobile Suit in the ZAFT manufacturing list that matches that description. But...it was definitely similar to the _Infinite Justice_. I will have to go after Lacus Clyne when I get back to my office. In the meantime, focus on the mission," Yzak ordered as he pointed out the nearby dock as a familiar Mobile Suit began its descent into the _Voltaire._

_"_The _Destiny?_ We getting that guy as a transfer?" Dearka jokingly said as he straightened out his uniform, feeling quite puzzled at how ZAFT higher-ups were doing their job. If what Dearka said was really true, they're sending in one of the most talented albeit immature pilot to Yzak's unit, a unit built around discipline and selflessness while Shinn Asuka is centered on impulse and misdirection.

"I have to agree, Commander. Although I do not doubt his skills, he's not exactly...cooperative," Shiho herself commented as she folded her arms across her chest.

"No way, he's just joining for the ride to link up with his new ship. And I know what you're thinking, Dearka. Don't worry, he's learnt his lesson," Yzak Joule claimed as he turned on the communications channel.

"Might also be a good chance to gauge the enemy's strength, if it's against the _Destiny. _We can't afford to lose anymore comrades," the young female brunette said more to herself than others, and Dearka fretted over this. He knew she was obviously obsessed with trying to keep her comrade's life in safe hands that she would think of any and every possible scenario against said nemesis. Maybe even neglecting herself sometimes.

She was never the bloodthirsty type. In fact, she's more of a pacifist than anything else.

* * *

"Although I am disappointed to say this, with the two ships and enough Mobile Suits and pilots, we could have taken over the area in less than an hour," Yzak made a frown as the pilots looked at him directly, "But considering the presence of superior weaponry and pilots they had, we were outmatched easily. Kinda reminds you of the Battle of Thermopylae doesn't it?"

"The hell is Thermopylae?..."

Yzak Joule quietly tapped the paper on his clipboard as he tried to remember what to say, ignoring what one of the pilots said. As expected, the two ships will be returning for a round two against the band of stragglers they encountered a few days ago, but this time, they will be reinforced with a new battleship that just came out of the shipyard. Even though he doubted the new crew and ship would do much in terms of assistance, he remained optimistic, and for a good reason too.

"Commander, just to confirm," Shiho voiced out, "With only three warships, we'll be facing a whole armada of well armed and equipped terrorists? No offence Commander, but that sounds like a suicide mission more than anything. Like I said, we can't lose-"

"Lieutenant...relax. Our reinforcements are more than adequate. We'll be linking up with a Minerva-Class Battleship, call-sign _Athena. _There's the famous _Destiny_ and _Impulse _onboard too. I agree its a difficult mission, but its not impossible," he gave a stern reply as he dismissed the whole room. As soon as the room emptied, he sat back against an empty chair and huffed in relief.

* * *

To be honest, Yzak Joule really didn't fancy big battleships, especially on the front lines. He liked it more when his warship could blend in with the rest of the fleet as if it was a normal ship. To a civilian, the Minerva-Class Battleship _Athena _would be a magnificent and grandiose sight of black and grey arsenal. But to a soldier, its more of a flag that says "I'm the helm of the fleet" all too obviously. If _Athena _were to go down fighting, morale would dwindle like a piece of paper in a maddening typhoon.

"Commander? I'm putting the transmission to the _Athena _on channel one," the Communications Officer said while pressing a few keys on the board. Yzak nodded to the officer quietly, before standing aside the Captain's seat. If he heard right, the Captain of the _Athena _was too young to even captain a small warship.

"_Good afternoon, Commander Joule. Captain Ryuzaki Kidouya, Commanding Officer of the Athena. Linking up with the battle group now," _the Captain of the _Athena _sounded off into the communication video channel. Yzak nodded and returned the greeting. He had a feeling this guy was serious and downright devoted to ZAFT, but something about him spelled comfort. He did seem young, albeit a little older than Yzak, with furious blonde hair and charismatic sapphire eyes.

"Good to have you with us, _Athena._ We are approaching the engagement zone in one hour. Are your men battle-ready?," Yzak asked out of concern rather than belittlement. He was worried the crew wouldn't be accustomed to a new vessel sent into its first battle. The Captain however...Yzak has heard of Ryuzaki Kidouya when Yzak was just that impulsive brat during his time in ZAFT Academy. Ryuzaki was one of those top honor students with the best personality. AKA the popular guy of the academy.

After much exchange of information on their combat statuses, Yzak and the Captain closed the conversation. It was now only a matter of time. All the plans, contingencies even backups were already made and disseminated to the pilots. Whether or not this next battle succeeds, depends on the tendency of the pilot of the glowing Mobile Suit. Yzak got pissed all over again after remembering what happened. Of all things and people, that had to happen to him. And because of the damage on his machine...and the headache...he can't go out for the next battle.

..._Damnit..._

* * *

The battle was intense. To the point that Shiho's hands were trembling with adrenaline as she shielded herself from enemy fire. The enemy was numerous in number but even so the situation was looking good for ZAFT. Explosions erupted here and there as the affected pilots screamed in agony and pain. She could see Dearka trying to bring down a few ZAKUs, but heard him growl in frustration instead. These guys weren't kidding around.

"Dearka. Don't go too far off, you might get yourself killed," Shiho reminded the tanned blonde with a soothing calm voice as she defended the _Voltaire_. It was quite easy to dispatch these idiots, its like they're lining up to die as they tried dealing damage to the _Voltaire_. Like they were deathly driven to die rather than kill. The plan was going well thanks to the presence of the _Athena_ too.

_"Shiho, do you see a Nazca-class warship among them?" _Yzak's voice filled Shiho's helmet, prompting her to zoom the cameras of her _ZAKU._

"I see it, Commander. Tagging the ship now. Sync-ed?"

_"Affirmative. All units, enemy flagship will be tagged as 'Tango 1'. At all cost, I want this ship disabled for capture, along with its Mobile Suit, designated callsign Hierarch."_

The firepower of the _Athena _was beginning to take its toll on the enemy warships, its formation quickly crumbling against the combined firepower of the _Athena _and the two sister warships. Additionally, with the _Destiny _and the _Impulse _from the _Athena _working together, most of the Mobile Suit vanguard were quickly decimated. Within minutes, the enemy found itself...outnumbered.

The remaining enemy Mobile Suits were quickly destroyed or disabled as _Tango 1_ finally reached its critical point, but... Feeling unease tingle down her neck, Shiho scanned the area with the _ZAKU's _eyes through the large screen. This time, paying VERY close attention to any details.

_"Phew...that was a mess. Everyone alright? ... Shiho?_" Dearka tried to hail to her, which she had no time to respond.

_"Be advised, Tango 1's backup systems are online!"_

"C-Commander! It's _Hierarch_! _Hierarch_ is clinging onto the _Rousseau_!" Shiho reported with a shaky voice. Even Yzak's response to Shiho's report was as horrified upon seeing the golden-red shining enemy machine, AKA _Hierarch,_ making its stealthy appearance hooked onto the sister ship that was under Yzak's command._  
_

_"Wha-!? Damn him! Rousseau, power down your engines! I want squadrons to get that asshole unhooked fast!"_ Yzak's command came as soon as the others realised what was going on.

But it was already too late.

* * *

"_This-bzz-Rousseau! Losing-bzz-all sectors-bzz! Bzz-assistance-bzz-mayday-bzz!"_

_"Commander! We've lost radio contact with the Rousseau! No power signals from-!"_

Everything went by in slow-motion as the scene unfolded before her. It was like the first time she came to see a blossoming firework, so beautiful yet so short-lived. But...there was nothing to feel joyous about here. The radio chatter in Shiho's helmet didn't seem to bother the young pilot too much as she watched, with squinted eyes, _Hierarch_ plunging the last of many detonators into the hull of the _Rousseau, _sealing the elimination, destruction and fate of its crew. Her second home-away-from-home, going off with a huge bang in a split second. All the lives of the crew, the mechanics and even the caring and innocent medical staff...

...gone just like that.

A moment of silence went by as those under Yzak's command watched frightfully at the loss of their sister ship, an integral part of their formation and family. All the while, _Hierarch _floated around gracefully amidst the destroyed warship as if mocking the deaths of the hundreds onboard, and at the same time spitting in the face of his enemies who are still alive while its mother ship made its exit.

"_All-...All units, be advised. The Rousseau is lost. Repeat..."__  
_

_"This is Athena. Shinn? Lunamaria? Any sights on the Hierarch?"_

_"Joule Team! Break off and assist the Destiny and Impulse. Shiho, Dearka. Form them up and capture Hierarch!"_

As soon as the forceful command was passed down to her, Shiho fully pushed forward on the _ZAKU's_ throttles, propelling her at maximum combat speed towards _Hierarch_. With most of the ZAFT forces already converging on it. With no support or base for _Hierarch _to get aid from due to its efforts covering the mothership's retreat, it was only a matter of time now before they tear the cockpit open and learn if the pilot was a Natural...or a Coordinator.

* * *

The annoying smell of smoke and searing hot metal was heavy in the air, with the bustling of a usual busy hangar filling her ears as she stood casually eyeing her standard green _Blaze ZAKU. _Shiho was amazed she got out alive after dealing with such a dangerous rabid animal, her Mobile Suit was only left with its abdomen and head by the time the _Hierarch _was disabled and captured. Not forgetting the even greater damage it dealt to the other machines involved, including the ever so famous _Destiny _and _Impulse,_ allowing the enemy warship plenty of time to escape.

Even Dearka wasn't spared any mercy as his machine's systems got totally fried. Hearing a sigh at her side, Shiho turned to the said person Dearka, whose stomach was growling, "Ahh I'm so hungry...why did I have to escort our 'guest'. Weird guy that one..."

"He's on the _Voltaire? _Why not the _Athena?"_ Shiho asked with her usual sweet inquisitive voice, puzzled at the arrangement since _Athena _held a greater security presence than _Voltaire _could ever hope for. Dearka quickly explained as they made their way towards the cafeteria of the ship, noting that as much as _Athena _wants to be as grand as the _Minerva_, it can't due to personnel constraints. Only the menacing Mobile Suit was locked up in _Athena, _while its pilot, in the _Voltaire._ Before they could reach their destination though, the sound of a punch and a falling body caused them to stop in the corridor on the way.

"Damn you! You don't deserve that white uniform! Terrorists like you should be killed painfully and slowly!" Yzak Joule came up to the supposed pilot of the _Hierarch_ and crouched over him, giving dreadful punches. The former ZAFT pilot-slash-commander didn't even make a sound when he was hit. He just gritted his teeth and clenched his fists as he endured the pain.

Without wasting any time, both Shiho and Dearka ran to the two, stopping Yzak by gripping him at the shoulders. Everyone knew the enemy deserved no mercy for what had been done. But this can't go on. There has to be order in the ship even under such circumstance. Or else the whole crew will be driven by nothing but rage and vengeance instead of its usual disciplined decorum. Shiho knelt down to the enemy prisoner, noticing the prisoner ID on his uniform reading "Reiatsuma Hayabusa". Shiho somehow felt the back of her neck stand on ends as she tried digesting the name.

"Are you...have we met before?" the female pilot asked curiously out of the blue as she stared into those silver eyes. She couldn't resist asking, but also felt a slight hint that said she'd rather not know the answer. Reiatsuma instead chose to remain quiet and avoid her burning gaze. Shiho sighed at this and brought him to a sitting position. Such a nice match of jet black hair and silver eyes, Shiho thought to herself as the prisoner grunted.

"Damn it, Yzak! Stop-!" Shiho heard Dearka raise his voice as Yzak struggled to be free. The hotheaded Commander broke off, and quickly regained his composure as he breathed easy. With hateful eyes, Yzak stared down at Reiatsuma and gave a scoff before the said prisoner started shifting. Not bothering to clean the blood on his white Commander uniform, Reiatsuma, the pilot of the _Hierarch, _took out a small knife from his boots with his bonded hands.

"Shiho! Get back from-!"

"Nothing I do now can atone for what I did...but...if you're so eager to kill me, do it now," the prisoner's deep voice said as he held the hilt of the blade towards Yzak with his head bowed down, "I'd rather die in the hands of a fellow Commander than some sentence from a Supreme Councilman."

"R-Rei! What the hell!?" the voice of the _Athena's _Captain, Ryuzaki Kidouya, broke the silence as he squeezed through the small gathering, "Why are you-! Wait... Don't tell me-!"

"Wait...Captain you know this guy?" Dearka butted in.

"He is, Captain. The pilot of the _Hierarch. _The stolen Mobile Suit Terminal marked as missing," Shiho calmly said as she gripped the blade hilt firmly, before delivering an elbow strike across Reiatsuma's temple sharp enough to knock him out totally. She wasn't gonna let Yzak take the guilt of killing an unarmed man and she wasn't about to let him start again, even when this man has caused the death and destruction of an entire warship.

Both Dearka and Ryuzaki winced as the female brunette kept the knife away, signalling for the other soldiers to drag their unconscious prisoner away to the brig. Somehow or rather, even though it felt good, Shiho also felt she did something extremely bad. Like she hit a person that was not supposed to be hit. After the prisoner was dragged away and the crowd cleared, Shiho noticed that Yzak still had that frown on.

"Commander? Are you alright?" Shiho asked out of the blue as she stood by him, both of them alone in the corridor. She noticed that the past few days since the _Hierarch _had made its appearance, Shiho wasn't really smiling for the others as much as she did before. So this was where she resumed. As Yzak looked at Shiho, she gave that small bright smile.

"So many good men and women lost. There's no way I'll feel right about that," Yzak said quietly as he leaned down on the railing of the corridor, staring out into the deep space and into the globe of Earth, "Any Commander would feel the same."

"It's not your fault, Commander," Shiho responded with a soft voice, placing a warm hand onto his stiff shoulder, "You are just one man...you cannot take responsibility for all the deaths in our conflicts. Even the strongest, most wisest man wouldn't be able to bear such a burden. I'm here to protect PLANT, and I know the risks involved. I'm sure the rest...feel the same."

Yzak smiled lightly as he nodded at Shiho, who also returned the same smile, but in her heart she felt her stomach fluttering and her face go slightly warm. Yes, its true that she had admiration for the platinum blonde for a long time. But it's just a crush, nothing more nothing less. She wouldn't want to hope for anything especially in an unstable situation of the world. Of course like every girl in existence, she longed for that one man to fall in love with, to be loved by.

"But...Hayabusa...where did I hear that name before?..." Yzak said out loud as both him and Shiho continued staring into the dark blankets of space, as if swallowed by all of its mysteries and wonders that are left for the taking out there.

* * *

AN: As per the usual author note, constructive criticisms is appreciated. Thanks to honeyxx for Favoriting and Following the story :)


	3. Luck Within Battles

_**Trials And Lies**_

_**Chapter 3**_

_AN: This is the first Gundam Seed Fanfic by me and I deliberately wrote a Yzak & Shiho fanfic cause it is not so active... I also love this couple... And I don't own Gundam SEED or any of its counterparts... Too bad for me..._

_**As per my previous attempt at this story, I will use the same format...**_  
_Italics _represents a radio transmission from outside of the character's immediate location, as well as names of ships/mobile suits/vehicles.  
_**Bold & Italic**_ represents the time jumps or current location (but I plan to reduce the focus on this, I'm sure it disrupts reading flow, doggamnit!)...

* * *

_**Cosmic Era 74**_

"You can join us if you want, Lieutenant," Ryuzaki, the Captain of the _Athena_, looked at Shiho with a slight smile as he entered.

Shiho just gave a small nod, but still remained outside. She hated the brig of the _Voltaire_. It was dark, cold and empty with no windows or openings. Nothing to grab on to if you felt as if the darkness was about to swallow you whole. That deafening silence too. Not to mention the extreme cold with no blankets or bed. Reiatsuma remained stationary at the corner of the room, sitting quietly as his eyes glimmered against the open doorway.

"Why, Rei..." Ryuzaki asked as he stood in the middle of the doorway, letting himself adjust to the lighting of the cell while Shiho stood by his side.

Reiatsuma blinked for a second, before averting his gaze away from the two, "Even if I did let you indulge in such information, Ryu, you wouldn't understand. Besides...aren't you the lucky one? Never getting your hands bloodied just to get to wear that-!"

"That's not the question here, Rei!" the Captain burst out by accident, causing even Shiho to jump slightly in surprise.

"You said you're Hayabusa, correct?" Shiho butted in after a few seconds of silence. Reiatsuma just returned her look with a blank face, "You led the initial assault in Operation Spitbreak, in Alaska. None of your men survived that assault on JOSH-A, did they?"

"What do you want..."

"Is killing fellow soldiers how you honor their sacrif-!"

"I don't have to hear that from a glory hound."

"Wha-!" Shiho was prepared to go in there and give him a piece of her mind, but was stopped almost immediately by Ryuzaki, "Let me through, Captain! Just like the Commander said, this rabid animal has no place in the world! Do you know how many of my comrades you just-!"

"Lieutenant, stop! That's an order! Rei...why are you doing this?"

Despite all the questions posed by Ryuzaki, the prisoner kept going in circles and answered their questions with more questions. Although he did leave around nuggets of information slip out, what Shiho had come to gather was that Reiatsuma did it all out of revenge and hatred. That's how she felt about him now, a weak-minded fool. She frowned hard as Ryuzaki came out to lock the door, wondering why she had to put up with this. She just couldn't accept how her close friends died.

"This is the truth of the war, if you haven't seen it yet. Operation Spitbreak did kill all of his men. And it was in vain too. ZAFT knew...the base was rigged to blow. And still they sent countless loyal soldiers to die for one reason alone," Ryuzaki said with a morbid voice, his face gloomy.

"...What's...the reason?"

"To get support from ZAFT sympathizers, even neutral nations if possible?... A reason to justify continuing the war, maybe? You decide."

Shiho felt a sharp feeling growing deep inside her. But...she never heard of the incident Ryuzaki described, for what was written in reports was that the ZAFT officers had no idea it was about to self-destruct. But after much digging from Ryuzaki, Shiho learnt that a deceased Commander, Rau Le Creuset, already knew it days, maybe even weeks, before the operation commenced.

"But Commander Creuset was a rogue ZAFT-!"

"Yes, he was...but...there's no way he could have pulled what he did alone. Someone's up there, a whole lot of them."

She felt a sinking feeling. That same feeling when the _Rousseau _was blown up. That same feeling when the PLANTs suffered countless dead because of a nuclear war. The same sick feeling...when she knew something was not as it seems, but much more sinister than what was implied. She quickly left the Captain and returned to her office.

_"I don't have to hear that from a glory hound."_

Shiho felt her guts take a tumble as she tried to get Reiatsuma's voice out of her head, rummaging through the ZAFT network incognito for any reports on what Ryuzaki had just told her. It couldn't be true...could it? Then the destruction of the _Rousseau_, was it also as ZAFT had orchestrated just to justify continued hostilities? She thought to herself as she clenched her fist.

* * *

As soon as the _Voltaire _arrived at the docks of the ZAFT Headquarters, Yzak Joule released a sigh of relief. After a week of recon and combat, it was time for his unit to take a much deserved break. But of course, considering the death of hundreds aboard the _Rousseau_, it isn't going to be a happy one.

Cold air blew through his hair as he left the decontamination chamber of the headquarters. Despite high demands for soldiers and warships all over the Earth for war relief and peacekeeping, Yzak somehow was able to compromise with the top brass to let his crew stall for a short vacation.

His men were weary, and so was he. Yzak took a turn in the corridor and went through a door, revealing his ship, the _Voltaire_. He smiled at the sight and started making his way into the ship, making himself feel at home.

"Commander!" Yzak turned around immediately as Shiho floated up to him. She had a slightly tensioned look on her face as if something was wrong. Yzak immediately knew that something was up and he had to know what it was.

"Anything wrong, Shiho?" He asked calmly as he gestured to her to enter the _Voltaire_.

"Is it true we're getting sent to Carpentaria base on Earth after the short break?" Shiho asked with a soft voice. Yzak nodded as they continued floating through the corridors.

"Joule Team is getting transferred to the _Athena. _You okay with that?"

"Hey, Yzak! I heard we are-!" Dearka came from nowhere, causing Yzak to jump in slight surprise at the raised voice.

"Stop shouting in my ear will you!" the raised reply came as Dearka grinned, "No, you're not going to Carpentaria. Isn't that sad?!"

"What!? Why?!" Dearka gave a perplexed face, though Yzak was just being sarcastic.

"Shut up. Anyway, Carpentaria has been requesting aid since the bulk of its forces are over in Central Asia for a war relief mission. They're afraid they might get attacked, and the town closest to them are being pillaged every now and then by the Radicals," Yzak explained as they turned another corner. 'Radicals'...that's what ZAFT finally chooses to call them.

The three of them continued discussing the matter until they were stopped by the presence of Kira and Lacus. It was a rather surprising visit, considering Lacus' busy schedule as a Supreme Council Chairperson.

"Lacus? What are you doing here?" Yzak blurt out his surprise, obviously trying to ignore Kira's presence. He was still pissed at the fact that Kira was wearing the white Commander uniform of ZAFT. He respected the guy, but 'like' would just be going too far.

"Good morning, Yzak. I'm sorry about what happened to the _Rousseau_, they didn't deserve such an end," Lacus started off as Yzak nodded both Shiho and Dearka off while motioning for the former songstress to move to Yzak's office. Considering her sudden visit, it must be important and confidential. After taking their respective seats in the Commander's office, Lacus continued on, "Its regarding the prisoner you captured, Yzak."

"What about him? He killed off a whole ship. MY whole ship...not to mention other hidden atrocit-!"

"He's innocent. We're not putting him through court-martial."

"...WHAT!?"

* * *

The prison was dark. And cold too, as if the very lifelessness of the sector's walls were sipping out with a gripping chill that it shot straight into Kira's bones. Silence was the only music that played throughout the cells. Well, of course it was silent. Not many prisoners live to see the next week if they get sent here. This sector was made specifically for death row offenders.

"This way, Commander Yamato, Chairwoman Clyne," the prison guard opened a door which held the former Commander, all ragged and beaten up, like he went through what a child would in a home of drunks and druggies. Lacus seemed undisturbed by both the deathly aura of the prison, as well as Reiatsuma's appearance. Kira knew she had more than enough to worry about.

"Commander Hayabusa," Lacus got the ball rolling as Kira told the guard to standby somewhere out of earshot, "I apologize for the rough treatment they gave you, but we cannot afford you to be exposed to any Radicals' spy networks. How are you?"

"A few broken ribs and a dislocated shoulder, I'll live," Reiatsuma replied as he stood up slowly, respecting both Kira and Lacus' presence, "But...I'd rather be out there."

"Of course, Commander. We're sorry to put you through this trouble, but...here you go," Kira said as he passed on a file to Hayabusa, who quietly reads it with full attention. Kira watched as Lacus quietly smiled and taking a seat on the bed nearby, noticing her slight flinch at the cold surface of its metallic frame touching the skin of her slender legs.

"Wait...war relief?" Reiatsuma looked up at Lacus, whose smile was gone and held a more grim look.

"Its just on paper, Commander. A cover for your real mission if you want to put it that way," Kira responded as he looked at those silver eyes.

"I'm sorry to push you back into this, Reiatsuma...but we really need you," the Chairwoman begged rather than ordered as she, too, looked at Reiatsuma with a slightly desperate but mostly exhausted look.

"...Understood, when do I leave for Earth?..."

* * *

After clearing his tray of food and exiting the Cafeteria that was full of noise from the crew members, Yzak thought about the arrival of the _Hierarch _pilot any moment soon. Its been a week, and no announcements were made regarding him. As he entered his office, he was surprised to see Shiho and Dearka talking to someone. And that someone was none other than Reiatsuma Hayabusa. Seeing he was now in Green-Coat, Yzak frowned, not as hard as usual, as they saluted him. He wasn't in the mood to entertain this crap.

"So they downright shamed you to a Green-Coat even after a week of retraining at the academy. Quite interesting," Yzak said dryly as he saluted back and crossed the room to sit in his chair. He took his seat and faced Reiatsuma who was holding onto something in his gloved hands.

"Chairwoman Clyne ordered me to give you this before I left," Reiatsuma walked to the desk and gave Yzak a mini-disk and the box. Yzak and Shiho, even Dearka were surprised by the 'gift', "Since you are part of Terminal, as well as the Supreme Council, she decided why not."

"So... She made me a member of FAITH. And what's this about?" Yzak took it and looked straight into Reiatsuma's silver eyes, with the disk in his hand.

"Its my file, even those parts Terminal censors wouldn't want you to see," the green-coat said after a few moments of silence.

"Didn't we see enough already?" Dearka questioned, as he tried to snatch the disk away from Yzak, who held himself back from bursting out.

"Pompous ass."

Reiatsuma then faced the short-tempered Commander, "Commander Joule, I am assigned to the _Voltaire _under the Joule Squadron to...replace one of the pilots that was lost in combat a week ago."

Yzak, even Shiho and Dearka, looked at Reiatsuma coldly. He knew this was going to happen. But amazingly, the Commander replied calmly, "Alright. Your _ZAKU _is docked in the main hangar. I look forward to seeing you perform under the Joule Team. Shiho, he'll be your wingman from now on."

"C-Commander?"

"You know more than anyone how I work the team, I'm entrusting him to you," Yzak explained as he clasped his hands together in front of his lips.

"Yes, Commander! I will do as you ask," Shiho replied as she gave a neutral look, but Yzak knew deep down, Shiho hated the man to the core.

But Shiho knew that it would take alot for Yzak to use the word 'entrust' when giving someone a job. Shiho felt slightly proud of herself. The three of them waited for their newest comrade to leave the room before they started their conversation.

"Well, at least you have a new punching bag now, Yzak. He looks calm and collected even if you screamed at the top of your lungs in front of him," Shiho sighed heavily as Dearka said that, "I am gonna miss being your-!"

"One more word, and I'll drown you in space!"

* * *

"Kira? Kira!" Lacus cried out to him as she tried to control the crowd of lovable children around her. Despite her busy schedule, Lacus always made it a point to visit the orphanage, and if possible, alleviate the suffering that the orphans go through because of the war through her power as the Council Chairperson.

"L-Lacus...this isn't what I expected," Kira came out in a mascot costume of a bear. He tried walking straight but the kids were clinging onto him like a dog biting on a bone.

"Wahhh~ such a cute costume! You really fit in that, Kira. Come, children, go give the bear a hug," Lacus said to the children with her soothing voice as the children hooray-ed brightly while running themselves into Kira, causing the Ultimate Coordinator to fall on his back. Lacus giggled as she watched Kira's predicament.

After Kira got the kids to calm down, Lacus brought in the whole classroom milk and cookies, resulting in a real messy feast which ended with the kids slowly feeling sleepy and without much time passing by, slumbering through the afternoon. The cloudy day in the colony they were in brought with it cool soothing wind which made even her sleepy, blowing into the classroom as the curtains danced gracefully against it.

"Lacus...are you alright?"

"Not so loud, Kira. You might wake them," she smiled at Kira as she watched him cleaning up the place. Kira knew Lacus was tired from all the Council work that she had to go through, even though she tried her best to hide it. He smiled back, but still pursued the matter.

"How about you take a break this week? Let me do the rest," he offered as he sat beside his and gives a peck to her cheek, causing the girl to smile widely.

"You know I can't do that. I'm the Chairwoman of the PLANTs. I can't rest, knowing the enemy is always working to destroy all this," Lacus diverted her gaze from Kira towards the children, stroking the head of one of the child gently.

"Chairwo-! S-sorry. Chairwoman. We have an emergency," a guard suddenly entered the room, but quickly stifled a yell as he watched carefully not to step on the sleeping children within that small room. Lacus' face turned grim as she stood up, leaving the children as they slept quietly.

"What's the matter?" Lacus asked as they left the orphanage in an armored car.

"The Radicals have a base outside of Carpentaria, Ma'am. They're attacking the the harbor as we speak," the soldier's voice sounded abit too tense. Carpentaria is a well staffed base, with the latest equipment and weapons. But wait...

"Wait...Most of Carpentaria's forces are away in Central Asia because of the war relief. Lacus, we need to send the _Athena _down quickly," Kira said as he took out his mobile phone. Lacus' face relaxed slightly as she watched Kira at work. Truly, she'd never know how she'd survive the past month against the burden of politics if she were alone.

"...Kira..."

* * *

_"This is the Captain speaking, welcome to Athena Airlines. Please fasten your seatbelts if you have yet to do so. In case of an emergency, please duck and cover, and pray for the best."_

_"Get it over with, damn it!"_

_"Bitey as ever, Commander Joule. Alright, all crew be advised, entering atmospheric entry Phase 3. Mobile Suit squadron, drop-ships, prepare for launch as soon as we hit aerodynamic controls. The battlefield is gonna be hot so you're dropping right in the middle of hell."_

* * *

_"Joule Team, welcome to Australia. Once you're on the ground, you're on your own. Squad objective remains, locate and tag enemy key installations using the laser targeting system provided. Our artillery will do the rest. After your waypoint is complete, pop green flares for extraction. Good luck, Commander."_

"You heard the man. Once we're dropped off, maintain radio silence. That means no electronics, got that!?" Yzak shouted through his helmet as the transport they were on took off, the rear bay doors opening up revealing a beach-head that played host to a messy battlefield. The _Athena _wasn't the only one there. A small fleet and marine regiments of ZAFT as well as EAF were taking part against the Radicals.

"Wow! Look at them go!"

"Unlucky, aren't we, Sara? Getting straight into enemy territory the moment we enter atmosphere. Crazy helljumpers," Dearka said as he looked at the newly transferred rookie, Sara, his rifle placed casually on his shoulder.

"Shut up back there!" Yzak shouted to the rookie and Dearka as the drop-ship jolted and shook from nearby explosions.

As soon as the drop-ship touched down, Shiho took the lead exitting the transport, moving behind the nearest wall she could find to shelter herself from enemy eyes. Followed by Dearka and the rest, Reiatsuma was the rear guard. With the departure of the drop-ship, the area went silent. Only the sound of the tantalizing breeze filled their ears while the scorching heat of the hot sun gnawed at their skin.

"Any idea why no radio, Commander?" Sara questioned as she popped open her visor.

"The enemy has signal tracking. We turn on radio, we'll be a honeycomb in no time. Alright, here's the town," Yzak said as he pointed to the said settlement bearing a sign.

"Welcome to Ghost Town is more like it. We're on an island rig-!"

"Cut the crap, Dearka," Yzak said as he knelt down beside Shiho, "Shiho, you alright with that thing?" Yzak asked as he pointed to the laser device on her back, though Yzak didn't notice that he was leaning extremely close to her as he tried scouting the area in front of him through his binoculars.

"I-...I'm a ZAFT Elite, Commander. This is nothing," Shiho replied as she gave a smile to Yzak, her face flushed. Yzak just raised a brow as he watched her for a second, before she quickly averted from his gaze.

"Hayabusa...Hayabusa?... HEY!" Yzak got pissed for not getting an answer, and quickly threw a rock at Reiatsuma's green helmet, who just responded with his usual neutral face as he turned.

"What..."

"Nevermind..."

"Yzak...you hear that?" Dearka voiced out as they heard a sort of grumbling sound gradually getting louder, "What the hell is that?"

"Oh wait that must be me," the rookie, Sara, said as she stifled a grin with her face flushing, "I hadn't eaten since breakfast."

"..."

Dearka, Yzak and Shiho quietly gave a cold glare to the rookie as she held back a giggle. After much delay, Yzak quickly commenced a fast march deep into enemy territory to locate any strategic enemy locations. Without much of a map due to the ever-changing landscape, they were going in blind, until they reached a shabby building.

The group started moving in a low crouch as they entered the courtyard of the building. The playground was long defective and swings were rusty all over. Yzak frowned as he concluded that it was an elementary school or some sort. After a few steps, Yzak showed a hand signal as they leaned themselves against the walls of the front door.

"Hey rookie, Dearka, stack up."

"Why isn't Hayabusa called a 'rookie'? He's a green-coat to-!"

"Now, Sara"

"Okay..."

Before entering the main doors, Dearka opened the door halfway and rolled forward a tear gas canister into the large room. After a few seconds of hissing from the canister, Shiho and Dearka went in with their rifles pointed on both corners of the room. The place was too dark to see anything due to the bright light outside. The others stayed back as they kept an eye on the interiors.

Shiho was the first one to let her guard down as she lowered her rifle, which was a grave mistake. In slow motion, a group of gas-masked soldiers cocked their automatic rifles and aimed down at them, from behind the pillars and the balcony.

Guns blazing, one of the bullets ripped through Shiho's upper arm as she screamed out in pain, a second shot narrowly missing her chest but hitting her rifle instead causing sparks to fly and thick red blood spurting across the floor as she hit the ground. Yzak looked in shock as he ran up to her, with the other three covering them trying to get the attention of the enemy.

"Commander, get her back!" Reiatsuma shouted to Yzak as a few bullets snapped the walls near them. His heart skipped a beat as he watched Shiho's pained face.

"Ah! Commander the lase system is damaged!" Sara cried out, not bothered by the flying bullets as she tried to reach for it.

"What, are you stupid!? Fall back!" Dearka managed to shout as he pulled Sara along roughly.

"Alright! Fall back, fall back!" Yzak commanded as the squad slowly stepped back and away from the firefight, still taking shelter as stray bullets flew past them. Yzak pulled Shiho up to his shoulders as Dearka and Sara exited the courtyard way ahead of them to clear the path, leaving the other three inside.

"Yzak! C'mon c'mon!"

"Ugh! Commander, I-...don't worry about me!" Shiho managed to hiss out as she tried jogging on her own, but before she could take off herself, the both of them fell as a hot stinging bullet ripped through the back of Yzak's thigh. Instinctively letting out a pained cry, Yzak watched horridly as the wound began leaking out arterial red blood, jutting out like a mad geyser.

"Yzak!"

"Commander!" Shiho shouted out loud as she watched her Commander in pain, "C-Come on, we have to move!" she demanded as she ditched her rifle, pulling on Yzak with her only uninjured arm. Reiatsuma quickly sprinted, vaulting over a worn out metal bench and at the same time flipping it to cover Yzak from enemy sight. With his hands slightly shivering from adrenaline, Reiatsuma quickly takes out a tourniquet and tightly ties it to Yzak's thigh, effectively slowing down the bleeding.

"Get back, get back!" Reiatsuma waved away Dearka and Sara as the three of them got stuck quite a ways away from the gate, "Abandon the mission, we're combat ineffective, Major! Get yourselves out!"

"What about you guys-!" before Dearka could get a response, the side of the school exploded as a tank rolled through. Luckily for them, the cannon wasn't facing their direction as the dust from the explosion clouded the driver's view port. Without wasting anytime, Reiatsuma pulled a pin off from a smoke grenade and rolled it at his feet.

"G-goddamned civilians!" Yzak was by now moaning and grunting in pain as he held onto his leg, his breathing getting shallower as time goes by. He was starting to lose alot of blood. Reiatsuma quickly removed Yzak's helmet, before lifting him onto his shoulders, his silver hair following the motion as blood tainted its pure hue.

"Co-come on! Yzak! Stay with me, Yzak!" Shiho cried out Yzak's name for the first time as she gripped her Commander's arm, not knowing what to do. They were pilots first and foremost. Not footsloggers. Of course this would frighten her, since its been years she last saw blood up close. The smoke quickly filled her vision as she stood up along with Reiatsuma, the visor of her helmet fogging up.

"Leave the Commander to me! You guys get out of here! Shiho, stay on my six," Reiatsuma ordered as he pulled the injured girl roughly by her uninjured arm and carried the gravely injured Commander through the smokescreen. After hearing a curse from Dearka, Reiatsuma quickly looked around, chancing upon a sewer entrance. Not having much choice he quickly pulled at the impossibly heavy grates with all he had, his leg and arm muscles tightening to extremes as it finally squealed due to its rustiness and clanking against the gravel.

"Wha-! There's no way-!" Shiho wanted to protest as she looked into the sewer, revealing an extremely old drain that had muck and scum, not to mention the nauseating smell of algae and decay.

Without much hesitation, Reiatsuma quickly pushed Shiho down, causing her to scream in shock. Slowly making his way down with Yzak on his shoulders, the green-coat quietly pulled the grates so the enemy wouldn't suspect they went downside...not before lobbing up a grenade towards the school just to return the favor.

After Reiatsuma caught his breath as he moved deep into the sewer, he looked around for Shiho while removing his helmet. Radio was a no-go anyways so its just a hindrance. He quietly laid Yzak down against the wall as he slipped the medical haversack off of his back, turning on his torchlight.

"Shiho? Shiho!?"

"O-oi...I can't feel my legs," Yzak quietly whispered. It was bad, his face was turning blue and his eyes getting glassy. There was no way he could stall the medical treatment any further, Yzak is at the tip of the blade. He quickly reached into his first aid pack, his head turning here and there trying to find the missing Shiho within the darkness. The bullet is deep inside Yzak's leg and he needed an extra hand to stop the bleeding before Yzak is totally lost.

"Goddamnit...Hang on, Yzak-... SHIHO!?"

* * *

**AN**: As per the usual Author Note, constructive criticism (preferably on PM) will be greatly appreciated! Once again, a million thanks to Voltage Axe for reviewing and even following the story since its previous attempt! Motivation level rises by 5!


	4. Hush Now, Quiet Now

_**Trials And Lies**_

_**Chapter 4**_

_AN: This is the first Gundam Seed Fanfic by me and I deliberately wrote a Yzak & Shiho fanfic cause it is not so active... I also love this couple... And I don't own Gundam SEED or any of its counterparts... Too bad for me..._

_**As per my previous attempt at this story, I will use the same format...**_  
_Italics _represents a radio transmission from outside of the character's immediate location, as well as names of ships/mobile suits/vehicles.  
**Bold** represents the time jumps or current location (but I plan to reduce the focus on this, I'm sure it disrupts reading flow, doggamnit!)...

*Noticed that there were ALOT of gaps for important information...Will clear it up in the next few or maybe this chapter (if I'm lucky)!... Sooo APOLOGIES! Sorry for dragging you guys through nothing but combat!

_**The drama starts here!**_

* * *

_**Cosmic Er****a**** 74**_

"O-oi...I can't feel my legs," Yzak quietly whispered.

It was bad, his face was turning blue and his eyes were getting more and more distant. There was no way Reiatsuma could stall the medical treatment any further, Yzak is at the tip of the blade. He quickly reached into his first aid pack, his head turning here and there trying to find the missing Shiho within the darkness of the sewers. The bullet is deep inside Yzak's leg and he needed an extra hand to stop the bleeding before Yzak is totally lost.

"Goddamnit...Hang on, Yzak-... SHIHO!?"

There was no time to look for her...for now.

* * *

With more cursing and stumbling into hanging sewage pipes, Shiho Hahnenfuss decided to give up as she felt her head starting to get heavy and the world spinning slowly. She took off her helmet gently with one hand and placed it by her side, before ripping off her sleeve with a knife and wrapping it around her wound. Sighing quietly between her labored breathing, Shiho pulled her legs close to her chest to keep the warmth to herself as the sun slowly set above ground.

It was a slippery slope for her. Right after falling through the sewer entrance, Shiho tumbled down another steep drop. Despite repeated calls from her comrades, she refused to answer. Maybe it was because she was ashamed she let her guard down in the school, causing trouble to her comrades and especially her Commander just to get her away from the firefight.

"Yzak..." she whispered with a forlorn voice as images of his pained face flashed in her mind. There was no excuse for her under-performance this time. Her heart twisted, cursing herself as she clenched her fist in regret, the blood on her arm glistening under an unsteady light that was present within the sewer.

_Wait...a light?_

"Where the hell did you come from?" Shiho questioned to the man standing aside her. She was in no mood to entertain Reiatsuma, even though she felt relieved to see a comrade. But, the other dominating part of her said this organism was a traitor. A beast who would trade blood with glory at his own whim. Without so much of a response, he knelt to look closer at her arm. She backed up with a hostile look on her face.

Yzak was also not with him, even though he was supposed to. Which meant...to Shiho's mind meant two things. Reiatsuma either left him behind. Or killed the Commander himself. She quietly reached for her handgun on her thigh's holster, preparing to draw. Her heart drummed in her chest as she struck.

"Back off, Hayabusa. Where is the Commander?" Shiho hissed as she quickly stood up with her handgun aimed at Reiatsuma's neck, who in response turned away his torchlight from directly shining at Shiho with his eyes defiantly meeting hers.

"Calm down, Shiho-!"

"Don't call me that!" she cried out as she felt her head slowly start to spin from the loss of blood, her hands shivering from holding the gun too tightly. Reiatsuma narrowed his eyes as he watched Shiho breathing heavily, her judgement impaired by her injuries as her eyes widened trying to focus on her vision. Reiatsuma quickly rushed her, narrowly missing a shot from the brunette as he pushed her roughly against a wall while at the same time setting her down.

"Shiho," his voice seeped out, "Stop being stupid and emotional. Now stay still so I can try to stop the bleeding."

Shiho wanted to protest but her body refused to listen, it felt like lead. She gritted her teeth, quietly observing as Reiatsuma began on her wound treatment. She had no more energy to fight for now, despite the most dangerous man being right in front of her. Maybe she's going to die in a few minutes, she horrifically thought as the said person pulled her up, gently carrying her as if he was carrying his bride. Reiatsuma was remarkably gentle, not applying any pressure and just letting her lie in his arms as he backtracked where he came from.

"Hayabusa...where is...Yzak?" she asked weakly, her head unconsciously laying against his chest as they arrived at the ladder they previously used to escape from the enemy. Reiatsuma remained quiet as he kept on going down the sewer...before...

"What the hell took...you guys so long?"

* * *

The _Athena _quietly floated within the coasts of Carpentaria among the battered EAF fleet as the sun drowned in the horizon, its rays of light glimmering in the darkness of the clouds faded and the pale moon peeked from the stars. Dearka Elsman tapped his foot as he watched the battle plans in the bridge of the mechanical behemoth, his thoughts devoted greatly towards his stranded comrades for the past couple of hours.

"Welcome back, _Destiny_. Any change in that area?" Ryuzaki asked the flying Mobile Suit as it landed on the forward part of the warship.

"_None yet, Captain. Enemy is still holding that area...and in numbers. No aerial assets though,_" Shinn replied over the radio as Dearka watched the radar for any changes.

"We're wasting time here, Captain. We need to move in and get them out," Dearka requested out of desperation. Considering the injuries Yzak had sustained, it was no surprise. Those injuries cannot be totally recovered unless he returns to a proper hospital with proper equipment. The Captain frowned at Dearka's haste, but understood perfectly how he felt.

"There's no way we can get into the area blind without risking more lives, Dearka. We will go in as soon as we get confirmation of their location," he replied with a troubled face while Dearka kept on his worrisome look, "We don't know where the enemy is or what they are capable of just yet. For all we know, they could even be holding civilian prisoners. Any wrong move might spell out a bloodier outcome."

"What about the enemy's radio tracking in that area? Are they still online?" the tanned blonde shot another question, only to get a nod as a reply. Surely, if the enemy's radio tracker had been destroyed, they would already be hailing the three missing soldier's on an open channel.

"As much as I hate to say this, their survival depends on whether the enemy knows they are there or not."

Dearka hated how he had to be in this 'stay put and just watch' situation. He wanted to do something. Without regard for orders, he quickly but quietly slipped out of the bridge and headed for the hangar towards his Mobile Suit. There's no way he's sitting in the corner sucking his thumb while his close friends were in danger. He'd rather die.

* * *

"_It's alright, Shiho. Here, hold my hand. We'll get through this together..." _Shiho watched as the hand was extended to her, gripping it tightly with all the confidence in the world as she felt comfort radiating deep within her heart.

"_Brother...are...you leaving again tomorrow for the war?"_

_"I'm sorry I can't stay for your birthday, Shiho. But don't worry, alright? I'll bring back a gift for you this time. I promise," _the voice was soothing to her ears, such care and warmth. She smiled as she watched the person slowly distort before her, as if he was turning into a monster.

_"B-brother? No..."_

_"Shiho?"_

_"S-stay away!"_

_"_Shiho! Wake up!_" _the voice startled her as she finally woke up from a suffocating dream, cold sweat tickling the bare skin of her neck as she slowly sat up, "Are you okay? You were crying in your sleep..."

_"_Yzak..." she whispered out for the second time that day as she looked into his worried eyes, holding her ever so gently as she tried to stabilize herself. After a few seconds though, she finally realized what she had blurted out, "Uh-I mean! Commander! I'm okay, Commander!"

Yzak Joule just stared at her with a look of relief as her face turned scarlet. Despite his treatment of her, Yzak really does find her cute at times, though sometimes menacing. He quietly sat beside her as the moonlight lit their faces, the serene sight of the ocean a welcome to their sore eyes.

"Where are we, Commander?"

"The sewers led to the coast. Hayabusa carried you here," he said as his calm face slowly changed into a slight frown that didn't go unnoticed to his female counterpart, "He saved us both, but...we're not out of it yet though. He went to get supplies from the town."

A moment of silence passed through as the two of them sat by the beach, the sounds of the waves splashing against the sand making for a good distraction to both their weary minds. Shiho all the while sat there quietly, her face still flushed as she tried to think of a topic to talk about. The silence was really awkward.

"C-Comman-"

"Just call me Yzak. I'm getting tired of everyone calling me that," he said with a soft voice as he stared down at the white sand by his feet. It was a cold night, the chill of the Australian coastal winds biting at his fingers as it blew through his hair gently.

"Y-Yz-...Yza-," Shiho tried hard to formulate the words in her mouth, but found a lump in her throat as she fixed her two eyes on her dirty boots. Yzak chuckled as he glanced her way, causing her to hide her eyes behind her bangs as she turned her gaze away. He would be lying if he said he didn't have the hots for the girl, but telling that would mean he'd break his strict image he had took so long to build.

"Takes a little getting used to, huh?" he smiled as he watched the sea, his mind full of things that weren't supposed to be worried about at a romantic time like this. Or maybe it was because he didn't want to think of it. Such an embarrassing thought wouldn't even want to cross Yzak's mind. He was about to lay down and get some shut eye, before he heard the girl next to him started shivering.

"Sorry, Shiho. It might be a cold night but we can't risk an open fire. The enemy might see us," Yzak said with his normal neutral face as he adjusted the heavy bandage around his injured leg. Every movement sent a sharp needle into his leg, it was that painful for him.

"I-...Apologies, Commande-!"

"It's Yzak..."

"Y-...Yzak..." she managed to say out as she clenched her fist in embarrassment. Yzak got puzzled. She was never this timid, especially around comrades. Why start now? He raised a brow as he turned to look at her.

"Shiho?..."

"Y-yes!?" Yzak's eyes widened with surprise as he held a hand up to protect himself. He quickly regained composure, and with a serious look, began questioning.

"You...had a brother?"

"What?"

"You kept crying out 'brother' in your sleep just now. I thought it might be something you'd wanna talk about," Yzak explained as he turned his head towards Shiho, who held a forlorn look on her face as if she was elsewhere, "L-listen if you don't wanna talk about-!"

"He was a ZAFT soldier before the first war came."

"I-...I see. What happened?"

Shiho shook her head in response, signalling that she had no idea what, "I suddenly lost contact with him. He was the only family I had left so...when I joined up looking for him, he was just marked as Missing in Action. I was lost after that."

"...Shiho," Yzak whispered to himself as he watched Shiho grip tightly at her injured arm, trying to add her physical pain so she'd forget her emotional ones. Yzak never knew she had issues in her life. She always seemed...up to it. Always ready. Never hesitant.

"Even though I was just adopted by his late parents...he was the only one who truly cared for me," he could see her shoulders shivering as she tried hard to hold back her tears, "He joined ZAFT, because he had no way of sustaining us after our parents' death. ZAFT was the only way he could take care of me while I grew up."

"..." Yzak was speechless. Always being in a safe and secure bubble never had let him meet such people who lost their loved ones. He never had to deal with people who had such a scar running deep inside their hearts like a painful thorn.

"Even after all these years...I still-... I should've died long ago... It-...Konrad would still be alive if I didn't exist."

Yzak quickly grabbed her arm to snap her out of her depression. Shiho looked up at his sapphire orbs, her eyes brimmed with tears. He couldn't bear listen to her be this way. Not from Shiho. Sitting beside her, he gently pulled her in a warm embrace. As she felt his warmth radiating from his body, Shiho shivered more as the memories of her brother kept returning.

Shiho began to give small sobs as Yzak held her tighter, "Don't say that, Shiho. Your brother gave everything he had to see you grow up, he loved you very much. No one can take that away from the both of you."

"I loved him very much...I...still do," she whispered against his shoulder, her tears by now trickling down her smooth cheeks as she stared out to sea. The silence engulfed them as they held onto each other, the heat from them both eliminating any signs of cold and discomfort that was present a few minutes ago.

And before the both of them knew it, they were staring deep into each others' eyes. It was like a dream, watching as Yzak brushed away her tears and assuring her that everything was okay. It had to be reality. His soft sapphire eyes were too gentle to be only a dream. Shiho knew what would happen next as she felt her heart thumping against her chest and her face firing up.

There was no denying this feeling as they leaned into each other to...

"Commande-..."

* * *

Reiatsuma quietly placed his field pack down on the white sand as he leaned against an rock outcrop in the beach. He felt his heart sink as he listened in on all that Shiho had said, all the while his eyes towards the majestic moon. He knew Shiho saw him as a traitorous dog who only deserved a traitor's death. Forget River Styx, a place has been reserved for him to be burnt within Circle of Treachery in Hell if Shiho was God.

He quietly took out a pair of dog-tag held by one chain. His eyes turned forlorn as he traced the names on it with his eyes, quietly praying for those who had passed before him.

"Konrad..."

Reiatsuma Hayabusa said to himself as he stuffed the dog-tag back into his pouch, quickly grabbing the field pack and headed towards the two who were apparently embracing each other. Reiatsuma didn't notice this as he was deep in thought, but as he stepped up, he immediately froze.

"Commande-..."

Shiho was the first one to respond as she yelped and pushed Yzak away without thinking, while Yzak on the other hand froze in place, his face turning a shade of red as he turned slowly towards Reiatsuma. He immediately frowned and gave a look that said he'll kill if what transpired were to leak around ZAFT. All his years of image building would be crushed in an instant. Instead, Reiatsuma continued on as if he didn't see anything.

"Commander, sorry for disappearing like that," he apologized before passing the both of them a can of baked beans that he managed to salvage from the nearby abandoned town. Reiatsuma glanced from the side as he noticed Shiho's face flushed to the extreme, wrapping a blanket around her that Reiatsuma brought as she tried to hide her embarrassment. She could feel her heart still beating like a riot deep inside her chest.

"I've found a hardwired satellite radio that can get us into contact with the _Athena _without being detected. I'll need to go check it out."

"W-wait! I'll go to-"

"You'll only slow me down, Commander. Please leave this to me," he said as he rushed off, disappearing into the thick vegetation before Yzak could protest further.

"That moron..." Yzak said to himself as he watched the soldier disappear, "Just because he's a covert operator he thinks he can do everything alone."

"Covert operator?"

"Hm? You didn't hear? He's black ops for the Chairwoman. That's why he was released."

"But...he killed all those in the _Rou_-"

"I didn't say we'd forgive him for that...but he did what he had to do. To us, he blew them up. To the public...the _Rousseau _malfunctioned."

"...I...can't accept that, Yzak..." she said to herself as she laid down with the blanket around her like a cloak. Yzak just watched her as he took a sip of water.

"Can't say I don't agree to that..."

* * *

Dearka waited quietly as he tapped the armrest of the pilot seat within the drop-ship of the _Athena._ Despite the protests from the crew, the Captain finally decided to let the tanned blonde go off on his own with the rookie, Sara, beside her. He rubbed his forehead in annoyance as the girl beside him kept talking. She just won't shut up!

"...and you know the time he vaulted over the bench and protected the Commander and the Lieutenant! Ohhh that was coo-!"

"Sara! I know! I saw it too! Now please can it!" he raised his voice as he frowned, causing the younger one to jump in surprise. He quickly apologised as he unbuttoned the top of his pilot suit, "Our comrades are in danger, Sara. It wouldn't be prudent to be talking about that like nothing happened."

"...I'm sorry, Major. I was just trying to light up the mood," Sara responded as her eyes went downcast. Despite being the newest member of Yzak's squad, Dearka really felt she wanted to fit in into the group. He had never met someone as enthusiastic, albeit dumb to danger, as her in his career as a ZAFT soldier.

"I'm sorry for raising my voice too. But I guess you're right, it would be pointless moping about like this," he decided as he turned to look the runway of the _Athena._

"Major...can I ask you something?"

"Hm?"

"Was it true that you were dumped only after five minutes the last time?" she asked with a neutral face. Dearka frowned at the speed of light as he stared questioningly at Sara.

"W-well that is a very depressing topic, Sara. That's not even true!" he tried to defend himself as he ruffled his hair, "Ho-how can a good-looking man like me be dumped that quickly! No wait! It was I who dumped her... Ahaha..."

"R-really? I heard from-!"

"_...Bzz-is Hayabusa-bzz-ZAFT Forces-bzz-hardwired secure channel... Allied-bzz-this frequency-bzz-respond...Bzz-have two-bzz-heavily wounded-bzz-need extraction-bzz...Coordinates-bzz-as follows-bzz..."_

"That's our ticket! Captain? You have a fix on their location?" Dearka said through his radio to the _Athena _as Sara started the engines of the drop-ship.

"_Roger that, Dearka. Coordinates are sent to your helmet displays, look out for a strobe light. I'll send the Destiny and Impulse as escort. __Good luck, Dearka,_" the Captain ordered as the drop-ship Dearka was on launched off without a hitch, quickly making way to where the three missing soldiers were.

"Thank you, Captain."

_"Shinn, Lunamaria. Get to it."_

_"Sure thing, Captain..."_

* * *

"This is Hayabusa of the Athena, ZAFT Forces, hailing over a hardwired secure channel. Allied forces this freq-!"

"Well, well, well, look what the cat dragged in people," said a female voice amusingly from one of the windows of the room. Hayabusa instinctively trained his handgun at the black combat clad figure sitting casually by the window ledge, playing with her knife as if she wasn't in danger of getting shot at all.

"Karmen..." Reiatsuma mouthed as he lowered his gun, not worried due to the fact that it was his subordinate rather than an enemy. Said person, Karmen, quietly got off the ledge and walked up to her superior, noticing his green combat suit instead of his original black.

"Wow, Rei. They turned you into a green?"

"What do you want, Karmen?"

"Just a message...from Miss High-and-Mighty," she said jokingly as her pony-tailed silk black hair swung with her walking motion, "Visotoniki is ready. We are at your orders, Commander. "

"Faster than I expected. Thanks for the message, Karmen-" he was about to leave when she stopped him with her arm, seemingly pouting at him before he could make a move. He quietly lifted his hand...and pats her head gently before she gave a warm smile, her eyes glowing silver with contentment behind her bangs.

_"Hayabusa, this is Minerva-Class Battleship, Athena. Responding to your hail on channel 231. We will be sending a drop-ship to you for pickup. Mark your location with strobe light, I repeat, mark your location with strobe light. Estimated arrival is three minutes."_

_"_Commander?"

"Have the Visotoniki on standby. By the way..."

"Hm?"

"Konrad's sister is here."

"His sister?... Did you-"

"...No... Round up the Visotoniki to the mother-ship, Karmen. Do NOT stay at PLANTs."

"As you wish, Commander," and with that, the female commando disappeared through the window and into the night.

"This is Hayabusa. Acknowledged, _Athena. _We'll be waiting."

* * *

"Yzak!"

Before Yzak could turn around to respond to the call, Dearka quickly wrapped his arms around the platinum blonde's neck, causing him to wince in pain due to the injury to his leg. He quickly shoved the man away as a counter and even though this guy was still as annoying, Yzak felt extremely happy to be able to see his best friend again.

"Leave me alone, Dearka! Can't you see I'm an injured man?" he exclaimed as he used the crutches to get to his office. A few days had already passed since the crazy separation from the team, and psychologically both Yzak and Shiho proved to have wonderfully recovered. Physically though, they need more time. Especially Yzak.

"I really can't believe you guys got out of there. Especially you, man. You should see the look on your face when you took that bullet," Dearka chuckled as he sat down in Yzak's office, as per usual putting his legs on the desk as if he owned the place. Yzak could understand, he was extremely relieved and happy to see Yzak too.

"No thanks to you!"

"Hey, come on...I piloted that drop-ship to get to you guys, you know?"

"Hah! Even I could do that blindfolded."

"Hahah! I really doubt that. But..." Dearka paused as he looked at the ceiling, "I gotta hand it to you, that guy did really well this time."

"It doesn't change much, Dearka. Even though he did save our lives, there's no way I'd forgive the massacre."

"True. Where's Shiho by the way? Ever since she came back, she's been avoiding you hasn't sh-! Wait...WAIT! YZAK! YOU DIDN'T-!"

"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU THINKING!?"

* * *

**AN: **A million thanks to all the readers who have been...you know...reading the fanfic hahah! And special thanks again to Voltage Axe, h0neyxx and Rouge-Impulstice1 for the wonderful support y'all gave me! Really REALLY appreciate it! I think I missed out a few points to cover the gaps in the fanfic (eg. Mobile Suit?). If anyone sees it, can you guys point it out for me over on a PM? Thanks!

By the way...this chapter title, I'm not afraid to say, is from a song in My Little Pony :D That show rocks!


	5. Bonds That Surpass Blood And Bullets

_**Trials And Lies**_

_**Chapter 5**_

_AN: This is the first Gundam Seed Fanfic by me and I deliberately wrote a Yzak & Shiho fanfic cause it is not so active... I also love this couple... And I don't own Gundam SEED or any of its counterparts... Too bad for me..._

_**As per my previous attempt at this story, I will use the same format...**_  
_Italics _represents a radio transmission from outside of the character's immediate location, as well as names of ships/mobile suits/vehicles.  
**Bold** represents the time jumps or current location (but I plan to reduce the focus on this, I'm sure it disrupts reading flow, doggamnit!)...

* * *

_**Cosmic Era 74**_

The softness of his seat suddenly felt so comfortable and warm as Yzak Joule leaned back into the armchair of his office. He hated dealing with people who are difficult and nosy, which meant almost all of humanity was his allergy. But having to deal with such people as part of his job was what made it worse. Staring at the invitation card in his hand, Yzak sighed deeply as his subordinates entered.

"Hey, Yzak. We're here," Dearka barged into the office without regard for privacy of his Commander.

Yzak had already told the idiot to knock before entering a multitude of times, but was just at the point of not caring anymore nowadays. Dearka was followed by the disciplined beauty Shiho, then lastly Reiatsuma. Of course, the latter most person wasn't a part of their trio group. But Yzak needed him for...other reasons.

"I don't know if you guys received this as well," the platinum blonde claimed as he waved the invitational card to his subordinates.

"What exactly is it, Commander?" Shiho asked as she stood aside Reiatsuma, who was deep in thought too. Why would he be summoned for something as high profile as this? It would just bring in too much attention.

"An awards ceremony, slash banquet. Not only am I there to attend it...you'll also be there as-"

"Escorts? I thought as much," Dearka cut in as he sat on Yzak's desk, his arms across his chest as he wore a thoughtful look. Yzak didn't even know he had such a look on him before.

Since it was already almost three months that all three major factions were in equilibrium, Lacus and Cagalli thought it appropriate to hold an international event to strengthen ties between nations. PLANTs and Orb Union obviously had no problems since both its leaders are already closely related. But EAF, proved to be more of a challenge.

Yzak slowly got up as his face turned slightly irritated, "I will be attending the event...and will be required to take with me another person," he said as he eyed Dearka for said role. In turn, Dearka just gave a grin to the two.

"Ah about that. You see, Captain Ryuzaki already confirmed Hayabusa and me as the guards for the big shots. So-"

"And you didn't consult me on this?" Yzak's face began burning up red as he realised the only person he could take was Shiho. Despite them having to share that encounter one week ago, Shiho and Yzak both felt extremely uncomfortable especially when being left alone together. So as a defence stratagem for herself against a one-on-one showdown with Yzak, Shiho drags Reiatsuma along as a middle man every time Yzak summons her.

She decided on Dearka at first, but that tanned idiot would just make things more difficult by making outrageous assumptions. Reiatsuma on the other hand, was like a silent punching bag. Shiho quietly raised her eyebrow as she waited for the decision to be made. Even if she felt uncomfortable around Yzak, he's still her Commander.

"Relax, Yzak. It's nothing really. You're just attending an event with a Commander-to-Subordinate mindset," Dearka Elsman tried to convince the two to just endure that one night together as he sat on the table with a grin, "Isn't that right, Hayabusa?"

"Of course. Duties come before fraternizing. Commander Joule knows that better than anyone," Reiatsuma's dry answer came, only causing Shiho and Yzak both to face a more tensional situation. The event wasn't even a day ahead and the both of them were already starting a messy outline of what they were planning to say to each other.

"Umm...but definitely, Commander Yzak has someone more fitting to be by his side for the event," Shiho's voice finally slipped out as the three men looked at her with a certain...look.

"..."

"Ah! T-that doesn't mean I feel bad or anything! I'd gladly...let someone take my place," she said with a smile that was coupled with a flushed cheek. The three men did notice her smile turn slightly sad as seconds passed on. Yzak scratched his head as he closed his eyes, thinking.

"Ahhh! I don't care anymore. Shiho, it's decided. You're going with me for the awards ceremony night next week."

"C-Commander?!"

"Clear your schedules for that day. I'll ask someone to cover for your duties," he ordered as he began typing his way on the computer of his office. Despite the harsh and strict tone he was giving, his face was shaky and nervous. Dearka chuckled as he gave Yzak a hard pat on the back.

"As expected of Commander Yzak Joule! Even an embarrassing decision, he makes without hesitation! Forge ahead, Commander!" Dearka joked as he laughed, pulling Reiatsuma along out of the office and leaving both Shiho and Yzak alone.

"W-wait! What do you mean embarra-! Damn you, Dearka," Yzak cursed before he could finish lecturing his best friend.

Shiho softly cleared her throat as she looked at her Commander with an overwhelming sense of shyness. They were gonna spend the night together as a couple in an international event. Isn't that like a front-page news if anyone saw it? She hated those kind of things...but an order was an order, or so she kept telling herself. Her heart thumped in her chest as she tried voicing out her concern.

"Com-Commander? I-..."

"Hm? I can't hear you, Shiho. Speak up," Yzak suggested calmly as he leaned forward slightly to listen.

"I...I don't have a dress. Wi-will you go with me...and help choose one?"

"...HUH!?"

* * *

Despite her role and position as the Chairwoman of the Supreme Council, the top of the hierarchy of PLANT's leadership, Lacus Clyne maintained a very modest standard of living. A modest single floor house that held only the necessary appliances like stove, fridge, a bedroom and a study.

Kira would never comment on her choices, as he knew exactly how she felt. More than half of the population on Earth were starving and dying. Living a lavishing and extravagant lifestyle was nothing but mockery to these people's harsh lives. She even planned to bring back gifts for the orphans over at Orb.

"What do you think of this, Kira?" the pink-haired princess asked with her gentle voice as she came out of her changing room in a beautiful yet simple white gown. Kira's eyebrows raised in amazement. It was a symbol of elegance. The lustrous, pearl-beaded fabric of the dress glinted from the light. It fit Lacus' flawlessly, the dress molding her torso beautifully, complimenting her curves.

"It-...it looks great, Lacus," he serenely said as he kept gawking as Lacus smiled happily, twirling slowly while she looked down to observe the flow of her gown, "But...are you sure about this?"

"About what?" her voice still sounding excited and not aware of Kira's worry.

"The event you and Cagalli are organizing in Orb. More than anything, I think its her way of investigating who's on our side," he let out his concern as he stood aside the window, the bright light of the colony illuminating his white ZAFT uniform and his purple eyes.

Lacus stopped whatever she was doing, and quietly headed back into the changing room without closing the door as she changed, "You shouldn't worry about details like that, Kira. Let the intelligence network and Visotoniki handle those things."

"I know but-"

"Weren't you the one who told me to relax? Besides," she cut Kira off as she got dressed in her usual black Council uniform, hugging Kira from behind as he watched the children playing in the fields, "...if it's all it takes to get our relations flowing smoothly without getting things out of hand, it's well worth it."

"I guess so. But-" before Kira could continue more on his worrisome talk, Lacus' phone rang.

"H-hold that thought, Kira," she said as she picked up her phone immediately, making her way to the other side of the room as if she was hiding something. Kira quietly watched her as she talked on the phone, her face slowly turning from that of content, to a sad one. Or was it a look of regret? As soon as Lacus was done, Kira opened his mouth only to be stopped.

"I have to go, Kira."

"What's going on?"

"Its a...Clyne family issue. I have to deal with it on my own. I'll be back, alright?"

"Wait, are you going to be alr-!"

"It's alright, Kira. It's just a minor problem," she lied through her teeth as Kira watched her. Both of them knew she was lying, it was plenty obvious. But Kira let it slip this time. Lacus has already enough trouble on her hands, more than enough in fact. He didn't want to be an extra burden over her shoulders by being such a nosy person.

"I'll be waiting then," Kira gave off a smile as he went to see Lacus off on the sidewalk of her apartment, a black armored vehicle awaiting her, "Call me...if you need me."

"Thank you, Kira," she replied with a smile as she gave a peck on his cheek, before slipping into the car and moving off towards the Supreme Council's direction. Lacus frowned slightly as she looked out the window while the car sped down the freeway.

* * *

Deep within this hell hole most men call a shopping center, Yzak breathed deeply as he tried not to look uncomfortable towards his subordinates. Despite Yzak's plan to only bring Shiho along for a 'super-short trip to just buy a dress and get the hell out', that plan turned horribly inside out as Dearka and Reiatsuma followed along. After a few days of flight over the pacific ocean aboard the _Athena _for Orb, they all felt restless, especially Dearka.

"Man, Orb really has loads of things on sale. Look, I even got myself fake breasts here! You don't see these in the PLANTs, you know!?"

"M-Major...I'd not say that out loud if I were you," Reiatsuma expressed his discomfort as he scratched the side of his head, trying hard to ignore looks of disgust from the other patrons of the mall. Yzak and Shiho, on the other hand, were really quiet as they walked in the group, the mentioned two walking unusually far from each other.

"Come on, Hayabusa. Don't tell me you haven't seen these things, you're older than me right?..." Dearka and Reiatsuma continued debating about the morality of revealing bedroom fetishes within public earshot as they continued on within the mall. Yzak cleared his throat as he tapped Shiho's shoulder, who jumped slightly in surprise as she turned to look at her Commander-slash-date for the day.

He quietly pointed to an extravagant boutique that housed a magnificent display of gowns and suits. Definitely the kind of shop that could prepare for their event in Orb later that week. Yzak kept telling himself that it was just for work purposes and nothing else, but even so, he still felt kinda nervous.

"Command-"

"Don't call me that. We're not on the ship or in uniform, you know," he said as Shiho led the way towards said shop.

"Are you sure you wanna go in there, Yzak? Its...super costly...and I'm not really a rich person," she commented as Yzak pushed the door open, allowing her entry as if he was a real gentleman. That's one thing you have to learn when you become a ZAFT Elite. Even table manners were taught in the Academy, a way of...fraternizing the enemy if the situation arises.

"I'll pay for it just this once. Don't worry about it," he assured her as Shiho smiled shyly, looking through the selection of clothes that was on sale.

"T-then I'll take the least expensive."

"Don't go modest on me now. I'd hate to take all the spotlight," Yzak complained.

He tried to make it sound inoffensive to her but at the same time caring. He actually really hated attention, so the more beautiful Shiho looks, the less attention there will be on him since most are just fixed on her. Unless of course if some old nanny were to talk about marriage with her, he'd crash out the window to get away from that. But considering the encounter with Shiho on the island last time...was it really so bad to settle down?

He quickly slapped himself to get out of the thought, breathing heavily as his face turned red. Shiho just watched with raised brows as she heard a smack from her Commander, watching him fight with himself. Not an unusual sight...if you minus the red face.

"Y-Yzak...how's this?"

"Huh?... W-wow..."

* * *

"Wait what!? We lost them?" Dearka cried out as he turned his head back and forth like a night owl on a mission. His plan was going to fail if he really did lose them for the day. All thanks to that indecent talk and debating about whether big or small lady assets were useful or not.

"Isn't it better to leave them alo-!"

"NO! I can't miss this chance! Do you know what this means?" Dearka grabbed Reiatsuma's shoulder, his grip full of tension.

"Uh...no?"

"Well, of course...You're new and all here anyways. Listen, Hayabusa," the tanned blonde started off, "Yzak Joule, is by far THE most hardest man to crack when it comes to women. This is the absolute chance to break him."

"Huh... Haven't you considered the possibility that he's...gay?... Wait, what?" Reiatsuma questioned his own question in the end.

"...What the hell... That's creepy..."

"A-...Anyways, you don't have to worry about breaking the Commander. Shiho and him were-!... Wait... I shouldn't say that," Reiatsuma retracted himself as he looked the other way, his face showing signs of embarrassment.

"Wait...don't tell me-! What the hell?! I didn't see it!?"

* * *

Yzak froze in place as he watched Shiho exit the changing room in a stunning gown of black silk coupled with gloves that stretched all the way till her upper arm. With her fair skin, the dress totally a wondrous match even though they are a stark contrast to each other. Yzak quietly closed his mouth which was wide open due to her surprising look.

"T-that looks okay, lets get that one and go," he tried to hide his amazement at Shiho's choice, plainly saying it as if he didn't care what she looked like. Shiho, in the same state of embarrassment in her new clothes was too self-conscious that she took his words too hard.

"N-no wait! If...you think this looks bad on me, I'll go change," she decided as she turned to go back into the changing room, but was immediately stopped.

"Wha-! No no! It looks great! Beautiful! You're so charming in that! So don't change, okay?" Yzak burst out as Shiho stopped and smiled widely hearing to Yzak's compliments. She felt good that it from her Commander directly, like butterflies fluttering inside her stomach as her heart pounded in excitement.

"Thank you, Yzak."

After everything was settled, Shiho and Yzak quietly left the shop to head back to the _Athena. _As they were heading towards the said ship, they slowly got sidetracked as they saw a bright light flashing outside of the mall. Fearing the worst, the both of them quickly exited the area through a stairway and onto the main courtyard of the shopping mall that faced the open seas.

"Wow...fireworks."

"To celebrate Orb's independence day, I think?" Yzak questioned as they watched the fiery flowers blooming in the sky, only to die away in an instant after a short show of brilliance. The fireworks really were magnificent. Just like human life. Even though life is short, there is surely an achievement or happiness within that makes that short life so much more to be proud of.

Shiho and Yzak watched quietly from under a tree, taking in the night scenery as more and more people gathered not far from them, causing one of them to bump roughly into Shiho. She yelped in shock as she was about to fall to the floor, but Yzak quickly grabbed and held her close.

"T-thank you, Yzak..." she managed to say out, only to realise her current predicament.

"Shiho, you alright?"

"Y-yes," she whispered as she felt Yzak's rough hands against her smooth ones, his body warmth radiating against hers as she slowly stood up. Her heart started pounding against her rib cage as she turned to look at Yzak, her face burning up as she blushed heavily, "Y-Yzak...that time on the island...thanks for talking to me."

"I-!...It's okay. I'm sure any guy would have done the same," he said as he tried averting his gaze. Yzak was also blushing at this point as he quickly let go of Shiho's hands. But the brunette quickly reached for them again as she moved closer. Despite her embarrassment and against her screaming brain that was telling her to stop, Shiho's body moved on its own, her heart leading the way.

"Yzak..."

"S-Shiho?" he called out to her with a questioning tone, he himself not sure whether they should continue where they left off or just chop it off and never make anymore mention of it. His body turned rigid as he felt Shiho's hands crawl up his arm. Yzak wanted to push her away to stop her, but at the same time he felt hesitant. At this point, Shiho's lips were just a finger away from his face as the both of them stared into each other.

Without much time given to react, Shiho's soft lips were already pressed onto Yzak's own as his eyes widened. His brain suddenly turned into a useless mash of meat and blood as it turned off, letting his desires take the helm as he wrapped his arms around the young pilot. The kiss felt almost surreal as the world around them were quickly forgotten, allowing them plenty space and time to enjoy what they longed for since the island incident.

* * *

_...Harooooooo! GET BACK HERE! That's my pencil!..._

* * *

"I can't believe I missed that too...something DEFINITELY happened there," Dearka Elsman complained as Reiatsuma and himself laid still on top of a ceremonial _ZAKU _in Orb territory, observing the busy perimeter of the supposed location for the international banquet-slash-awards ceremony a few days later. Despite the normal behaviour of both Yzak and Shiho after the mall incident, Dearka was still sure something happened between the two.

"Why not we try the 'maybe' protocol? Maybe, nothing happened."

"Maybe something did. Ah, well...no point dwelling on it."

"Overlord, this is Recon 2-3. The Emperor has arrived, I repeat, Emperor has arrived."

"Lacus is here too? Wow, now that completes the whole chess set. Even the Knights Athrun and that Yamato kid is here."

"Not to mention the Queen piece Lady Cagalli too. If we screw this up, the whole world will all go to hell once again."

* * *

"Lacus! Wait!"

"What is it, Kira?"

"Don't...don't go out there. I'm feeling bad about it," Kira pointed out his worry as they hid behind the curtains of the hall.

"Nonsense, Kira. What are you talking about? I have Yzak and his team set up the defense net, not to mention Athrun too," she said with a smile, her face full of confidence as she walked up the stairs slowly towards the hall.

"I know but-!"

"I have to go..."

"Lacus!" Kira cried out as he grabbed Lacus' arm a little too rough than he planned to, causing him to twist her wrist painfully.

"Ow! H-hey!" in retaliation, Lacus snapped her arm away from Kira's hold, before giving him a rightful slap across his face. She was tired of having to deal with jerks over at the Council, she didn't need Kira to be another one. She was pissed, albeit regretful of it. She'd just apologize to him later, she thought to herself as she rubbed her pained wrist.

"L-Lacus..."

"Please, Kira! Stop being so paranoid!... I'll... I'll be fine..." she finally said as she pushed the curtains away to enter the hall.

The sound of applause slowly receded as Lacus got behind the podium of the long hallway that housed almost all the generals, officers, politicians and even noble families of all three sides. Kira smiled slightly as he took his side by the pink-haired songstress, quietly observing the hall as people turned to pay attention to the lovely Lacus.

It was a huge hall lined with magnificent pillars and grand windows. A superbly long golden-blue carpet down the middle on top of a shiny floor of alternating black-and-white tiles as it led to a two-stepped raised floor that served as the stage for the awards ceremony. The place was extremely grand, with huge paintings and pearly white walls. Any enemy would hate to make this their target, Kira thought as he moved his eyes slowly to the people all around.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, it gives me great pride to be here today. It is also an honor that I have been given an opportunity to represent the PLANTs at such a wondrous occasion," Lacus started out her speech as she commenced the awards ceremony, "It also gives me great joy to-!"

Before she could finish her next sentence though, a window nearby shattered into a million pieces before Lacus felt herself being pushed back hard by a tremendous force as she flew a few feet back and hitting the ground hard. Kira's eyes went wide with shock, his heart skipping a beat watching Lacus take a large caliber shot. He quickly ran to her while the occupants of the hall screamed in panic.

"L-Lacus? Lacus! Hang on!" he cried out as he carried her gently, her shoulder shot through as it bled rapidly. Lacus could just moan in pain as she started taking in labored breaths, her white gown taking on a different color as her blood rushed out of her body.

"Go! Get an ambulance here!"

"Y-yes, sir!"

"NO!" Kira shouted out in desperation as he watched the guards, "G-Get me a Mobile Suit. I need to fly her to the hospital."

"S-sir?!" the soldier was confused. A Mobile Suit? How was he supposed to call one to get in here?

"Just go get one! I don't care if it has to tear down this wall!" Cagalli's voice, the voice of the representative of Orb, quickly shook the Orb soldier as he ran off to get a working Mobile Suit, "Kira, how is she?"

"K-Kira..." Lacus weakly said out as her eyes slowly turning lifeless and her skin turning pale. It was a huge caliber shot, and would definitely take out her vital organs in the blink of an eye if aimed right. But luckily for them, only her shoulder was caught in the bullet's line of travel. Despite that, she was still losing alot of blood.

"Lacus, hold on!" he cried out again as he tried to carry her, but was stopped by Cagalli as she took off her ceremonial coat.

"Pressure on the wound, Kira. Don't panic. Try to stop the bleeding first. Two of you! Follow us!" she instructed to the two armed guards nearby as they slowly carried Lacus outside together on a makeshift stretcher. Hopefully there is a working Mobile Suit ready outside. But his wishes weren't met as they reached the doorway that led to the brightly lit parking lot outside.

"Where's the Mobile Suit!?" Cagalli cried out as she looked outside, her uniform and hands stained by Lacus' blood. What came instead of the Mobile Suit, was an Orb helicopter, landing not far away from them. Being careful not to get shot, the two siblings hurriedly brought Lacus on board. Kira gritted his teeth as he gently held Lacus.

"Pilot! To the nearest hospital!"

"Yes, Lady Cagalli!"

Kira had always been a pacifist, but that doesn't include when someone hurts Lacus. And because no one had the guts to even touch her before, this feeling of anger and hatred suddenly felt overwhelming to him. Kira quietly looked up at Cagalli with angry and teary eyes. She immediately knew what he was thinking.

"K-Kira... Don't worry, she'll be okay," Cagalli tried to assure him as she looked down at the shot Chairwoman, her breathing heavy and her pulse barely there. Truly, it was a terrible choice to have made her come down here when the world is still scarred by the ravages of war. But with that, Cagalli now could narrow down who the enemies of Terminal was. Even though...losing a life is too much of a cost for any type of information.

"Kira..."

Kira looked at Lacus with tears brimming in his eyes as he felt her slowly going cold. Even with a dire body condition, Lacus still tried hard to reach out to her loved one. At such a critical level of blood loss, a normal human can't even think straight. Lacus' eyes slowly allowed tears to roll down her bloodied face, both from the pain of the shot, and the pain of that she'd let her loved ones down.

"Shh...Lacus save your strength. I'm here, don't you worry."

"Kira...I'm...sorry..." Lacus managed to say out with a whimper as she held on as tight as she could onto Kira's hand.

"La-...Lacus?" Kira called out to his beloved instinctively as her body went limp, her bloody face buried lifelessly against his chest.

"Oi! Lacus! Wake up!" Cagalli tried waking up the dying princess as she gave a few gentle slaps to her cheek. It wasn't any good at all, "What's taking you so long to get there!?"

"We're reaching in a moment! Please hold on!"

At this point, Kira was already deep in his own sorrow as he hugged Lacus tightly, sobbing uncontrollably under the loud engines of the helicopter's rotors. He regretted making Lacus come here. He regretted making Lacus angry at him before her final moments. But most of all, he regretted not being able to do a thing to protect and save her.

All that progressive hard work and perseverance to reach a peaceful resolution with all the nations of the world...all the blood, sweat and tears of the heroes of the wars...all gone with a single shot, and a whimper.

* * *

"Gah!" the green coat aggressively gripped the head of the exhausted enemy, before violently whipping his head around causing the spine to fatally shatter and painfully kill the person in an instant. Reiatsuma panted as the body slumped lifelessly against the cold hard ground of the apartment building beside the large caliber sniper rifle that was used against Lacus. Dearka soon came into the room and watched quietly as his partner tried to regain his breathing.

"Good job, Hayabusa."

"...Any news, Major?"

"As far as the last one goes...Lacus didn't make it."

"..."

"O-oi...are you alright? Your eyes are-!"

* * *

**AN: **I'm sorry if this chapter seemed too short or too rushed. I tried fitting all of them in within a specific amount of words so one can stay focused for the story the whole way. And one more point, I'm sorry Lacus has to die at this point of the story, even though I didn't manage to progress her relationship between Kira. (I would kill myself if I weren't myself for killing Lacus D= Even though I find her abit too weird sometimes lol)

Thanks to **Rouge-Impulstice1 & Voltage Axe **for reviewing my last few chapters and all the others!

Anyways with that said, please comment on the story's if you want to (**ESPECIALLY if you find the word count in chapters too short! This I need info on!**) . Otherwise, I'm glad you guys enjoyed reading this! Take care and hopefully the next chapter is less melancholic!


	6. Fall of Freedom

_**Trials And Lies**_

_**Chapter 5**_

_AN: This is the first Gundam Seed Fanfic by me and I deliberately wrote a Yzak & Shiho fanfic cause it is not so active... I also love this couple... And I don't own Gundam SEED or any of its counterparts... Too bad for me..._

_**As per my previous attempt at this story, I will use the same format...**_  
_Italics _represents a radio transmission from outside of the character's immediate location, as well as names of ships/mobile suits/vehicles.  
**Bold** represents the time jumps or current location (but I plan to reduce the focus on this, I'm sure it disrupts reading flow, doggamnit!)...

* * *

**WARNING! DO NOT SCROLL DOWN TO BOTTOM AUTHOR NOTES! SPOILERS!**

* * *

_**Cosmic Era 74**_

The silence of the Freedom's cockpit was thick. It was so thick that you could cut it with a small butter-knife and taste it as it slid past the blade. Kira Yamato sat quietly, slumped against the cushion of the seat as he stared down at the seasoned material of his suit. It was still dirty from all the exposure to gunpowder and fire, not to mention the dried blood that got there long ago too. His eyes downcast and dull as his head and heart were filled with nothing but the emotions of a regretful demon.

Despite all he had tried to do, he couldn't pry open the jaws of death that had claimed his beloved's life. Lacus Clyne, the woman he had known for only a few years who had made a huge impact on his life, was now nothing but a lifeless corpse, an empty shell to a once glorious existence. He refused to attend her funeral. He refused to have anything to do with it. And its all because because of one thing.

Shame.

The shame that he had to endure, the regret for not being able to do what he was supposed to. What he was expected to. In the end, he was just making empty promises. Promise to keep Lacus safe? Hah! Who was he trying to kid? The love of his life was lying there bleeding her life out and all the world and himself could do was just freaking watch.

...Or...

Was it the pain? The denial? That he didn't want to believe she was dead. It can't be possible right? There's no way. One day he'll just wake up in bed with Lacus as he usually did...and she'll assure him with a warm hug that everything was just a horrible nightmare clawing at his insecurities. But...it can't be a dream. The knives in his chest, that sick feeling of throwing up is just too real.

In the end it was all the same no matter how much he wanted to run. Lacus died because he was a freaking incompetent fool.

"Lacus..." he whispered out her name as he clenched his fists tightly in rage, to the point his knuckles were turning white. There was no turning back now.

_"Commander Yamato? We're starting the training session now," _Yzak Joule's voice echoed into the speakers of his helmet. Kira quietly shook his head as he placed his hands on the throttle controls of the _Freedom._

"Alright, Commander Joule. Who am I up against?" he asked absent-mindedly as the armor of the machine began taking its usual color, the blank screen flickering on showing the launch runway of the _Athena. _A few minutes passed, and the _Freedom _was already dancing in the sky of Onogoro Island.

_"A grounded standard ZAKU and the Impulse." _

"Not enough. The _Freedom _needs more than that,_" _Kira hissed in annoyance. Everyone knew he wasn't the type to be forthcoming about the practise of power, but the death of his loved one might have loosened some screws within Kira's head...as expected by the platinum blonde.

_"Need I remind you, Commander Yamato. You're a high-value official in ZAFT. Any news of you harmed-!"_

"Disregard that protocol. I want the whole of Joule Team and the _Destiny _to participate."

"_But-!"_

"Now, Commander!"

* * *

The flashing of cameras was beginning to annoy her as Cagalli walked away from the podium of the assembly in Orb Union's governmental hall along with Athrun. Well, of course anyone or everyone would blame Orb Union for the death of one of the most famous figureheads of peace, as they were the ones hosting the event on Orb soil. Not to mention they were the ones in charge of security.

For such a foul-up, it was common sense to blame Orb Union and the personnel involved. But were it so easy. As she thought, she was the one everyone pointed their fingers to, more than the country itself. The overwhelming pressure of politics might just break her this time.

"Cagalli...are you alright?" Athrun Zala asked of his companion as they walked into her office, away from the prying eyes and ears of the public. Cagalli quietly frowned at Athrun for asking the obvious as she took a seat at her desk, leaning back against her armchair while the sunbeams shone in through the large window behind her.

"Let me think...I'm constantly being chased by the press for Lacus' death twenty-four-seven, I barely caught any sleep and now my own twin brother is ignoring my calls which worries me alot! So yeah," she complained as she turned to look at Athrun defiantly, "I am oh so peachy."

Athrun chuckled as he trailed his finger on one of the books of the office shelves. One might think, despite the current situation, a sarcastic remark as well as a chuckle would never escape these two's lips. But they did.

The young man quietly walked across the room and took a seat opposite of the fiery blonde, looking back at her as he narrowed his eyes catching her pull an exhausted yawn. Were they really ready to be figureheads of the politics world in such a devastating time? Looking at Cagalli, he got his answers. There was no turning back.

"What Lacus is trying to do...is reckless, Cagalli. I don't think-!"

"Don't think that she should go it alone? Don't worry about it," the blonde answered as she rubbed one side of her stiff shoulder with a hand, "We have to worry about our own side instead, you know. Kira worries me. Last I heard...him and the _Freedom _went missing for half a day before showing up as if it was nothing."

"Kira, huh? I feel horrible, making him go through this."

"She had no choice, Athrun," Cagalli said as she looked at him with sad hazel eyes, "I would have done the same thing...if we were in their position."

"Cagalli..."

Athrun's eyes immediately went downcast as he digested what Cagalli had said. So much lies and deceit lived in this world. But not all of them...

...are well and truly evil.

* * *

_"Wha-!? There's no way I can survive that!" _Lunamaria hailed out in open channel as she barely dodged a saber attack, scratching the armor of the _Impulse _badly, "_This is ridiculous! His weapons are set to lethal!"_

_"Luna! You okay!?"_ the Destiny flew by for support, barely parrying away the _Freedom's _attacks.

"Dearka, can you get a lock? Hayabusa and I will funnel him to you," Shiho Hahnenfuss said as she tried hard following the swift movements of the legendary _Freedom. _Her modified _ZAKU _wasn't even close to matching the specifications of Kira's mobile suit. Every time she took a shot, the beam was dodged as if it was the slowest thing in the world.

_"Lock him on? I can't even see him! Damn it! Why can't the ZAKU fly on Earth!?" _Dearka replied as his Mobile Suit kept spinning around trying to find the _Freedom_.

"_My eyes are getting blurry. We can just shoot anywhere and chances will hit him soon,_" the rookie, Sara, mentioned into radio, earning a few good pieces of mind from Yzak himself directly from aboard the Athena.

_"Somebody bring him down now...any longer and we're gonna suffer casualties for real," _Yzak's voice trickled into Shiho's ears. She was too damned focused on the _Freedom _to notice anything else.

After a while of dodging and maneuvering through the formation, the _Freedom_ finally started opening fire again. The training session was turning out to be a real skirmish. A dogfight between the _Freedom..._and those other guys. A few got clipped in the head of their machine as they went down, landing inelegantly down the tarmac of the docks.

The _Impulse _and _Destiny _tried rushing the _Freedom _head on at the same time with their sabers, but quickly got shot out of commission as the rifle beams went straight onto the machines' heads. Shiho frowned hard. The two supposed Aces are now down for the count. What chances would they have against this one?

_"Watch it, Major Shiho. He's coming for us," _Reiatsuma's voice snapped Shiho out of her thoughts, "_I have a plan__. Commander, switch us to a closed channel."_

_"Do it."_

"A plan against _Freedom_?" Shiho asked as she watched the said Mobile Suit weaving through the clouds in the sky.

_"Hey its better than anything, Shiho... What you got for us, Rei?"_

_"We just need to lure him to a ground battle. We can grab him if he gets close to us, then I can manually splice into the Freedom's electronics."_

_"You're getting out of the cockpit to do that? Might get squashed, you know," _Dearka said blatantly through the intercom, voice coated with surprise.

_"If you have other ideas, I'm all ears."_

"No way, Hayabusa. This is a training session. Don't risk your life for such a thing," Shiho commanded as she dodged a beam fire from the _Freedom _from afar.

_"We don't have a choice in the matter, Shiho. Four ZAKUs against the Freedom? Seriously, don't we ever take it easy?" _Shiho rolled her eyes as she heard Dearka's complaint, even though he was enthusiastic with the aforementioned stunt. Well, Reiatsuma IS a black ops specialist. Maybe he's seen far more than they ever will. Maybe, this might work.

_"Alright then. Commander! Patch us back to open channel..."_

_"..."_

_"Please?"_

_"Do I look like your goddamned maid!?"_

_"Commander Kira! We're assuming ground melee practice, how copy?"_

_"Ground melee? Alright then,"_ came the reply as the _Freedom_ spun for a routine nosedive towards the earth_._

"Get in formation guys-! Sara, look out!" the brunette watched as the _Freedom _zoomed through a cloud and prepared its beam saber for the rookie's _ZAKU. _There wasn't enough time for them to get to her, she was broken off too far from the team formation.

Without hesitation, the _Freedom _quickly sliced off the _ZAKU's _legs and arms, rendering it harmless and incapacitated before kicking it right at the cockpit, causing it to speed down towards the ocean surface away from the docks.

_"Damn it! Get the recovery crew for Sara. Dearka, Hayabusa. I want that moron dropped right now!" _Yzak's voice boomed into their headsets as the _Freedom _sped off towards Dearka and Reiatsuma's location.

_"Gotcha! Come on, Rei!"_

_"Alright. Major Shiho, we'll leave Sara to you."_

"Got it. Be careful," Shiho warned them before boosting the machine's engines towards the rookie's mobile suit. What a mess. The _Impulse _and _Destiny _down. Not to mention most of the _Athena's _battle group. Shiho was frustrated. Even though this was a training session, it was a dangerous game to play with the energy of _Freedom's _weapons set to lethal. If anything were to go wrong...

"_Ugh! C-Commander! The cockpit's jammed! Wha-! Guhgh!"_

_"Sara! What's going on!? Crewmen, step on it!"_

_"W-water! Water's gushing in!"_

_"You have a helmet on rig-!"_

_"NO-bzz-HELMET!"_

Shiho's heart skipped a beat as she heard Sara's cry. There was no way she'd feel alright. The same sick feeling rose in her stomach as she remembered telling Sara it was okay not to wear a helmet...since it was just a training session. How could she have known that things would go this bad?

Gritting her teeth, Shiho quickly throttled her ZAKU towards the ocean.

"There's no time, Commander! I have to get her out now!" the brunette declared, without even a plan in mind but pure instinctual reflex.

"_Denied. Your machine is not equipped for underwater maneuver. Stay away from the edge,_" came the dry reply from Yzak. Even though he sounded emotionless here, the whole team knew Yzak was nervous just as much as they were.

"We don't have a choice, Commander! I'm going in-!"

_"Shiho! Stand down now!"_

_"Commander, we lost contact with Sara's communicator."_

_"Go Shiho," _Reiatsuma's voice crackled into Shiho's headset, before a green ZAKU appeared in her screen. Just as fast as it appeared, Shiho's screen blurred as Reiatsuma's machine shove hers into the ocean to where Sara was supposed to be with his shield.

"_HAYABUSA!"_

_"Rei! What the hell!?"_ Dearka's voice filled her ear as Shiho's ZAKU splashed into the sea.

Nothing but blue was on her screen...as the weight of the machine pulled itself, and her down with it.

* * *

A loud slap sounded throughout the _Athena's _hangar, causing most of the crew within to turn their heads. Cagalli Yula Athha was pissed off, or was it more of a worried kind of pissed off? Yzak Joule watched quietly as Kira stood there defiantly, his face started reddening with the pain of the attack.

"Ugh...what is it this time?" Yzak frowned, rubbing his temples as he stood quietly aside his Mobile Suit with his usual trio subordinates, while Shiho tended to the injuries of her two close comrades even though her own pilot suit was dripping wet with seawater.

Shiho quietly took out her medical equipment, not trying to get involved with the scuffle half a hangar away. Why should she? Her team and herself were just grunts within the war. This was something the brass should handle. She has had enough headaches to deal with already, like these two numb-nuts.

"I'm just glad Sara got out of there alive. Commander Yamato almost killed us all," she declared as she took out an antiseptic spray.

"Well, he did do crazy crap on Orb soil," Dearka commented as he sat quietly on a stretcher, "Yzak, wouldn't you be mad if I started digging into your fridge and dump rubbish anywhere I want if it were your house?"

"You wouldn't dare. And...that's different. This is politics. Anything our leaders, AKA Kira Yamato and Cagalli Athha don't like, it will be an international-"

"OW! What the hell!?"

"Stop moving, Dearka! This isn't as easy as it looks!" Shiho shot an annoyed glare at Dearka as she tried wrapping a bandage around his arm.

"Shiho are you sure you're qualified for this?"

"O-Of course I am! Hayabusa taught me all this," she replied Dearka's blatant question as her face turned slightly red, ashamed of her beginner medical skill. She's usually a horse-back rider back home, and studied sophisticated engineering books. Medical skills were not her forte. But she expected points for the effort at least!

Yzak shook his head as he turned his gaze away from his subordinates, watching from afar as Athrun gripped Kira's arm tightly and demanding him to stop acting like a reckless war maniac.

"Commander Yamato looks like he's hiding something," the female brunette quietly said to herself as she continued on to tend to Reiatsuma's injury next, a broken arm due to a fall from the looks of it, but nonetheless whispered to him for advice, "This...I wrap it with a splint right?"

"Yeah...just not too tightly."

"Alright..."

"Of course he is hiding something. Any one would feel devastated after the death of a loved one," Yzak said as he helped Dearka up, "His way of dealing with it is hiding his emotions. That's what I'd do if it happened to me."

Shiho paused for a while as she listened to what Yzak said. She wondered if she would be a worthy person to him in the future, and she feared that. What if...one of them gets killed and they were deep in their relationship? That would be the ultimate pain. They were already at the stage of mouth-to-mouth. Would it be wise to continue?

She quietly bit her lip as she bandaged Reiatsuma's arm tighter than was suggested, causing Reiatsuma to pull a pained look that escaped Shiho's clouded mind. Yep...she was deep in thought alright. Shiho took a towel to dry her hair as she watched Athrun confronting Kira. Kira just refuses to talk, but Athrun...being him, he wants answers. He's going it about the wrong way though.

"A-Admiral! You have to release the Commander at once!" the _Athena's _Captain, Ryuzaki demanded as Shiho watched him approach the two friends. Athrun Zala gripped Kira's arm, which could be seen as an act of aggression by an Orb officer towards a ZAFT personnel of equal echelon in their respective factions.

They really didn't need this. EAF already was causing some problems. An international incident between Orb and ZAFT would just put more strain on the world balance. Everything was tearing apart and Yzak and the rest was starting to think whether it really was a good idea for the friends to be separated by their factions.

Kira and Lacus to the PLANTs while Cagalli and Athrun to the Orb Union. In some ways, that would just bring trouble if done incorrectly. Shiho was disturbed deep inside. She was afraid this might lead up to another war.

"Let me go, Athrun," Kira's voice for the first time, left his lips since he got off the disabled _Freedom._

"No, Kira. You have to stop th-!"

Kira finally turned. But he gave Athrun the most coldest glare he could muster, which even shook Shiho from that distance. Before the disagreement could go on further, Reiatsuma quietly sat up from his seat.

"No rest for the wicked, huh?" the green-coat calmly said as he blinked.

"Oi, Hayabusa...you caused enough trouble, sit down," Yzak ordered but the words just fell on deaf ears. Shiho noticed Yzak sigh in defeat as Reiatsuma limbered up. What was he planning to do anyway?

In a split second, Reiatsuma quickly sprinted towards the two friends and delivers a killer kick to Athrun's chest that sent him sliding across the floor on his back. Before the pilot of the _Justice _could recover, Kira's commando pressed a heavy knee with his weight onto the side of Athrun's neck causing him to futilely struggle as his windpipe closed under the crushing force.

"H-hey! Athrun!" the Orb Representative quickly ran over to the scuffle but was stopped before she could make it by Yzak's arm.

Cagalli threw a death glare his way, but received a frown of dismay in return.

"I wouldn't interrupt them if I were you, Representative Athha," Yzak suggested, "Commander Yamato is within his rights to take defensive action. You'll just make things more complicated."

"But isn't it a tad bit too excessive, Commander?" Shiho questioned him with a worried look on her face.

"Commander Kira Yamato is under ZAFT Protection Code Niner-Two-Three. Please stand down, Admiral," Reiatsuma demanded order as he calmly kept digging his knee into Athrun's neck. The poor guy was turning purple by now, choking painfully. Shiho wrapped her wet towel around her neck, her eyes transfixed at the green-coat pilot.

"That's enough, Commander Hayabusa. They got the message," Kira said with a shaky voice, quietly placing a hand on his chest and gripping his suit tightly before making way to the ship's living quarters. Reiatsuma quietly lifted himself off Athrun, who coughed as he breathed in deep.

Shiho just watched quietly as Reiatsuma walked off towards the living quarters too, rubbing the back of his neck as he left. As soon as the scuffle was done, Cagalli went over to Athrun while the rest cleaned up the mess. _Athena's _hangar must be some stage or something. Something always happens here.

Dearka was the first to break out of their shock and surprise. The lowest ranked pilot just did in one of the most highly regarded war heroes of all time, and he didn't even flinch.

"Wait...Code Niner-Two-Three? Isn't that..." the tanned blonde pondered to himself.

"That's right, Dearka. No one can touch that guy."

"What does that mean, Commander?" Shiho asked as she turned to Yzak, who offered her a look of caution.

"Touching or threatening him would be the last thing you'll ever live to do."

"Oi oi...isn't that too much?" Dearka inner workings were disturbed as he realised the gravity of the situation.

"Orders came down from ZAFT and PLANTs themselves. Seems like Hayabusa's black operations team is watching him 24/7."

Shiho does the math in her head. Why would ZAFT go to such extent to protect Kira? He was no longer an asset considering Lacus died. Shiho's lightbulb went off as she had that eureka moment...in a bad sense.

"Wait...are they...really...?" the female brunette frowned hard, her heart suddenly thumping fast. Dearka was the next one to realise what was going on.

"This is bad, Yzak... You don't think..."

"I don't know the details...but what I came up with is that...ZAFT plans to keep Commander Yamato and the _Freedom_ for themselves...should there be another conflict."

* * *

The sunset was unsettling for the first time in Kira's life. It brought him more sadness and sorrow than it did in the past. Thoughts were running through his head as he kept on troubling himself with images of Lacus. There was no way he would recover in such a short time, but Cagalli and Athrun were expecting the impossible.

He didn't have the courage to take his own life. But at the same time, he felt he had nothing else to live for. Kira quietly looked down at the ocean waters, beating against the hull of the Minerva-Class Battleship. His eyes were baggy from the lack of sleep, and his hair lacked the usual shine he had. Everything was downhill.

"Haro! Haro!"

"L-Lacus!?"

"Haro! Lacus! Haro!"

Kira turned around swiftly with a huge smile, hoping to see his loved one that he had missed so much these past week. But instead of meeting those lovely cerulean orbs, he met cold silver eyes instead. Kira's smile immediately turned into a frown, turning back to looking out at the sky as he felt his stomach take a tumble.

"What are you doing with Lacus' Haro, Hayabusa?" Kira questioned the soldier as Reiatsuma leaned against the side railings too.

"I have something to give to you, Commander," came the reply as Reiatsuma caught Haro from flying towards the ocean like an idiot, "Apparently...she meant to give you this...along with all that she wanted to accomplish."

"What is it?" the young man sounded like he demanded an answer, rather than asking a question.

Reiatsuma quietly held on tight to the pink Haro, roughly pulling it apart as it broke open. Kira felt something snap inside him as he glanced at the soldier breaking the pink cute ball into two, but let it slide anyway since he had no more energy to throw a tantrum anymore.

After much dismantling, a disk dropped out to which Kira quietly picked up. Reiatsuma calmly took out a data reader from his back pocket, passing it onto Kira. The young Coordinator's hands shivered as he placed the disk in. Something told him what he was gonna see was big and troubling. But at the same time important.

"Don't worry, Commander. My team will be by your side in this."

"The Visotoniki? Did...did Lacus tell you guys to-" before Kira could finish his question, Reiatsuma was already gone from the top deck. He was alone again with the calming breeze of the evening sea. Quietly going through the datapad in his hand, Kira's eyes held that emotion of shock and surprise, not to mention disgust as well.

The Clyne faction. The First and Second Bloody Valentine War. The Visotoniki were behind it all. And...Clyne Faction's prints were all over them. Out of all that, Kira was able to scan out the important parts, wording it out to himself as his face frowned more with each passing minute.

"Clyne Faction's Scientific Wing...creation of biologically augmented supersoldiers through nano-machine technology...and chemical intervention. Codenamed Project VISOTONIKI," Kira was getting more and more disgusted as he read through the extremely painful procedures of the augmentations. But what he read in the next part was what alerted him the most.

"Visotoniki instigated war between EAF and ZAFT?... Prevention and elimination of...ZAFT investigators into Clyne Faction activity."

The young man gritted his teeth and clenched his fist tightly in rage as he read on. So that was what it was. The terrorist attack on the United Nations on the Moon was carried out by the Visotoniki. No wonder Siegel Clyne was the only survivor in that incident!

A whole assembly of peace-conference officials both from PLANTs and Earth Alliance were held and Siegel Clyne was the only survivor!? Of course it pushed the EAF to believe ZAFT orchestrated the attack!

Kira remembered the news.

11th February of Cosmic Era, Year 70. Declaration of war by the EAF against the PLANTs which plunged the whole human race into war.

He was extremely dumbfounded. Millions of lives lost. Just to protect an ethically questionable experimentation to make children into unstoppable soldiers. It was all too much for him to take. Without Lacus here...he was lost. But...Lacus had to deal with all these when she took over. He could only imagine the pain she was in to clean out and stop the experimentations-!

...Suddenly...realisation finally hit him...

Lacus' death too...was orchestrated...

* * *

**AN: **Just a few questions answered if you guys are confused...

- **Project VISOTONIKI** or simply Visotoniki, is the unethical conscription and augmentation  
of toddler-aged Coordinators till adulthood using nano-machines and chemical intervention, coupled  
with harsh combat training and indoctrination from young to change a normal Coordinator into killing machines.

- **Siegel Clyne and Tragedy of Copernicus on 5th February.**  
True in Cosmic Era timeline.  
The liquidation of United Nations peace conference between EAF & PLANTs by a 'Terrorist' attack, with Siegel Clyne the sole survivor.  
Lacus found Visotoniki(under Clyne Faction Orders) to be responsible for the attack, to instigate Bloody Valentine War.

- **Why the instigation of war by Clyne Faction?**  
Elimination and prevention of ZAFT formal investigators intent on ousting Clyne Faction out of Supreme Council  
With the coming of the war, ZAFT would have its hands full and will have to overlook the investigation to dedicate  
manpower for the war. This includes elimination of Lacus Clyne who tried to expose Clyne Faction's dealings.

* * *

That's all then!

Anyways! Apologies for the late update! I suffered a major writer's block on this one because I uploaded the past few chapters too fast LOL! Anyways, I hope you guys enjoyed reading this chapter, even though its draggy and all...I hope its not though :S

Special thanks to **Voltage-Axe **and **Rouge-Impulstice1 **again for being such great and awesome supporters! And to all the readers! Thank you for reading :D I hope I'm making this story worth your time! But if not, I am sorry and please provide suggestions to make it better.


	7. Reunions

_**Trials And Lies**_

_**Chapter 7**_

_AN: This is the first Gundam Seed Fanfic by me and I deliberately wrote a Yzak & Shiho fanfic cause it is not so active... I also love this couple... And I don't own Gundam SEED or any of its counterparts... Too bad for me..._

_**As per my previous attempt at this story, I will use the same format...**_  
_Italics _represents a radio transmission from outside of the character's immediate location, as well as names of ships/mobile suits/vehicles.  
**Bold** represents the time jumps or current location (but I plan to reduce the focus on this, I'm sure it disrupts reading flow, doggamnit!)...

* * *

"Spill it, Rei. I'm sick...and tired of your lies!" Kira Yamato struck a hard blow using an empty glass bottle of alcohol that he had just finished, right on Reiatsuma's head causing most of the bottle to transform into small sharp shards scattered around the cold floor of the room. Kira was panting as he dropped the other half of the bottle.

If Lacus were to see her loved one now, God swore she would be heartbroken. His usual upright shoulders were slumped, the violet eyes dull and his vision almost always downcast. His hair was also left neglected, losing its usual shine. Even his facial hair was beginning to slightly show as he took his seat within what seemed to be a makeshift interrogation room within the transport shuttle on the way to space orbit.

Reiatsuma showed a pained face as he tried recovering from the blunt force, shaking his head as thick red blood trickled down his face, "I assure you, Commander Yamato. I have always followed Lacus with no question. What would I have gained-!"

The pilot of the _Freedom _refused to let Reiatsuma finish the sentence, instead rising up and throwing the chair right at his 'subordinate', "Lacus was killed because of you! Because of abominations like you... If you and your kind didn't exist... Lacus...would still be alive."

Kira actually didn't need explanations. He already had everything...all the information from Lacus' Haro. Visotoniki is a blight and the sole cause of his sorrow. The only reason Kira brought their leader to this poor excuse of an interrogation room was just so he could take out his sadness and rage on the soldier.

"She's not coming back. But I'll honor her by purging your kind from this world, starting with you," Kira's voice was low and threatening as he pulled out a gun from his uniform coat, loading it quickly and aiming it at Reiatsuma's head. He could feel his heartbeat thumping up through his skull as his breath quickened, the lone soldier at the end of the barrel looking down and away from the gun.

As expected...Kira couldn't do it. He held so much hate for what happened to Lacus, for those responsible. And the perpetrator was right in front of him. But he was still as weak as the day Lacus got shot. Too weak to even pull a trigger. Kira clenched his fist, throwing aside the gun as he fell to his knees.

"Damn it, Lacus. Why'd you have to do this to me," Kira's voiced bounced off the floor as his eyes began watering again, feeling the emotional exhaustion taking its toll on his body, "Why, Rei? Why would Visotoniki kill Lacus? What has she ever done to you?"

"Commander..." Reiatsuma muttered under his breath as he watched Kira on all four, his forehead to the ground as he began crying rivers.

"There's too much lies...I'm tired of it all," Kira said weakly as he turned, laying on the floor on his back as he stared at the bright lights, not even wincing as the sharp glass of the broken bottle pierced into his coat and skin.

"Like I said...Kira... Me...and my team, will always be here to assist you," the black ops operator said as he closed one eye to prevent blood from seeping in, "Visotoniki, is not who you think they are."

"Huh..." Kira was at this point more exhausted than he was confused at what the silver-eyed soldier had to say. Reiatsuma smiled quietly as he watched Kira slowly fall into a quiet slumber, a temporary reprieve from his sorrowful stage of life.

* * *

After days of processing and communication, Yzak's team finally got their feet back to PLANTs, albeit a different colony than they were expected to be on. Yzak knew him and his crew were dealing with risky business when Kira was under their protection, but never would they realize it would lead to such a humiliating predicament...just for knowing too much.

Yzak's eyes twitched as he stood quietly behind a huge cooking pot, an apron tied neatly around and a long line of war refugees before him. Ever since the Requiem attack destroyed several PLANT colonies during the second war, the Coordinators that were displaced had nowhere else to go. And the numbers were too many for even ZAFT to handle.

"You're kidding, right?"

"What? Did this issue hit you square in the face just today, Yzak?" Dearka questioned sarcastically as he continued scooping up soup to the next refugee, "Agh, this job is gonna make my back ache tomorrow."

"Commander Joule! What's the hold up!?" one of the female volunteers, apparently the one in-charge, cried out as she frowned at Yzak's lack of focus. Yzak threw a look of irritation her way. One would think being in a clean and green park full of beautiful flora and fauna would be relaxing and tantalizing. But it wasn't so for Yzak's unit.

"What am I doing here!?" Yzak cried out as he sloppily...slopped...a scoopful of soup into the refugee's bowl, who returned the rude gesture with an intimidating look.

"Hey pal! What the hell is thi-!"

"Get out of my face..." the platinum blonde said threateningly, causing the refugee to quickly move away for fear of his life...or limb. Yzak frowned and looked down at the tag that was sown on the apron he was forced into.

'Winston Division'...even volunteers get sent to the single worst unit.

"I agree with you, Yzak," Yzak's blonde comrade said as he rubbed his shoulder, "What are we, a battlefront unit, doing back here? It's nonsense."

"It's crazy!"

"It's politics..." Shiho came out of nowhere as she wiped her sweating face with a towel, "But I won't speak of it," she said before giving a smile.

Yzak sighed as he continued mechanically giving out soups to the next oncoming war refugee. There was no end to them. He had been standing there for a good four hours now and his legs are starting to bark at him to rest. A group of soldiers suddenly passed the soup kitchen, quietly snickering amongst themselves as they watched Yzak's team, a once glorious group, now fallen from grace serving food to the public.

That was it.

"Damn it, I'm not doing this anymore!" Yzak cried out as he dropped the metal ladle into the boiling pot and dumped his apron on the floor.

"Yzak!" Shiho cried out as she went after him, but was stopped by a hold on her wrist. The officer in-charge of the Winston Division, quietly looked at Shiho with an amused look.

"Hahah, I was sure that would happen."

"Commander Clare? What are you talking about?" Shiho asked the blonde officer as she handed out a file to Shiho.

"Yzak's team isn't really supposed to be doing soup kitchen duty, but I was short-handed," Clare said as she gave a smile, pulling at Dearka so he'd notice what was going on, "Your real mission...is inside the file. I'll leave you guys to it then."

Clare quickly left the two officers Shiho and Dearka to go after their Commander. They were confused, but knew it was all a mistake to have been sent into a support company. There was no way ZAFT would do that, don't they? After finding their Commander sitting by a bench a stone throw away, Shiho quietly sat beside Yzak while Dearka stood at their side.

"What's that about, Shiho?" Dearka started off the conversation.

Shiho quietly opened the file as she read through the orders from Command, "Illegal Drugs distribution within PLANTs? With our security measures is that even possible?"

"Before the war, no. But...maybe since the war has stretched ZAFT thin with war relief and peacekeeping, its easier to do so from Earth?" Yzak questioned his own theory. Of course some people suffer psychologically because of the war. But was demand for it even high enough to risk smuggling drugs into PLANTs?

"Hey, do you think this has any links to-"

"No way, Dearka. So Shiho, what does Command want us to do?" Yzak questioned Shiho, who skimmed through the pages quietly as she usually does.

"Nothing much to go on, Yzak. We need to find their source and arrest or kill them off, but there's only a skeleton of an information."

"Well...there's only one person who we can ask for information about that," Yzak leaned forward, his hands together as he rested his chin on them, his two subordinates not having a clue as to who Yzak was referring to. They never figured him for someone who played in the black market.

* * *

Kira slowly opened his eyes, bright lights attacking him as he frowned hard. And with the aching hangover eating into his brain, he was more than convinced not to get up. But events quickly came back to him, and just as swiftly, he returned to his depressed self...not able to sleep, but also not able to wake up fully. The bed he was on felt comfortable though, and everything was perfect for a good rest, if not for the voice in the room.

"We're after the same guy then, Commander. Prayer Reverie goes by alot of names and appearances. He deals with illegal drugs and weapons distribution between PLANTs and Earth-coordinated Radical forces," Reiatsuma's deep voice rang into Kira's ears as he quietly sat up on the bed. His head hurts so much, it felt as if someone was cracking it open with a can opener. Despite that, Kira still listened in on to what Reiatsuma was saying.

"_By weapons__ I'm guessing you mean Mobile Suits. Well, it'll be bad news either way," _on the other end of the line, Kira recognized the voice which belonged to Yzak, "_I've already prepped my Mobile Suit Squadron. You sure this is a secure line?"_

"I made sure of it. We have to halt here. The enemy will get us on radar if we get any closer, Commander."

_"Alright then. As long as ZAFT doesn't get in the way, we can do what we want. Voltaire, out."_

Kira frowned as he usually does. They were no longer in the shuttle they were on before Kira went to sleep, and they weren't supposed to be here either. But apparently, Kira was brought to the Visotoniki's Girty-Lue flagship, the _Nocturnal Delta. _They were supposed to be in ZAFT Headquarters. Kira knew that ZAFT wanted to keep him for themselves. But he didn't care anymore. There was nothing to fight for anyways.

"Commander Yamato, good morning," Reiatsuma greeted the Ultimate Coordinator. Kira only scowled in return as he stood up. His hatred was still burning inside, and a simple greeting wasn't going to help solve everything. There was no way a simple greeting would bring back Lacus. Thoughts always nagged at him to move on. But...he always shuts it out. There was no way...he could move on.

"What are we doing here, Rei?" Kira asked as he stood up, staggering due to the headache.

"Protecting you..." came the simple reply, but there was a pause, to which Reiatsuma did not continue.

"ZAFT is gonna be looking for me, you know that right?"

"We're already dead to them anyways, Commander. But...we have more important issues," Reiatsuma quietly tapped his portable device as he talked to it, "Ma'am? He's awake."

Kira was confused. Who was it now? So many people was after him, to the point that it was annoying. If he could, he would have retired from piloting _Freedom. _But thanks to the war, that was the only thing he was good at. Besides computers at least. Kira placed a hand to his face, rubbing his temples as he tried to make the headache go away.

"What is it now, Rei? I'm so weak and tired. I no longer have any strength to be hateful towards you," Kira leaned forward as he was sitting at the edge of the bed, pulling his hair in frustration, "Why can't you just leave me alone?"

"..."

"Like I said, you're not human... You won't know how it is to lose someone you love so dearly," the Coordinator's violet eyes were downcast, his eyes began tearing up again, "Everything I had was taken away just to protect you and your friends. Are you happy now?"

Kira's voice was so shaky and depressing that he himself couldn't recognize his voice, even not realizing as the door slowly slid open.

"K-Kira..." a soft voice rang through the air. A voice that was only in Kira's dreams somehow managed to climb out of his nightmare and enter the real world. It can't be true. Kira closed his eyes shut as he tried hard to drown out the voice using his hands on his ears. There was no way Lacus was alive after that.

"Leave me alone!"

"Kira! I'm here," he felt a hand gently grip at his shoulder as he tried to deny the presence of Lacus there. Was it really true? Or was he just going insane? At this point, Kira no longer wanted to believe. He was at the point where he won't ever know the difference between reality and dream. Gritting his teeth, he tried squeezing his eyes shut.

"Commander..."

"Shut up!"

"Kira!" the soft gentle hands were now roughly prying Kira's arms away, before a sharp slap across his cheek woke him up completely. His eyes were wide with shock as he tried to recover from the hit. Violet met cerulean as time slowly ticked by. Lacus Clyne was right there in front of him, kneeling and crying uncontrollably as she watched his sorrowful appearance.

"L-Lacus?" Kira muttered under his breath as his hands trembled with fear as well as happiness.

His heart thumped uncontrollably within his chest as he reached out to touch Lacus' face. As his hand gently rubbed against her porcelain cheek, Kira felt as if a whole planet of lead was lifted from his shoulders, his sad lips slowly curling into a smile. That smooth skin and warmth that was radiating to his hand, what was but a distant memory, was now back.

"I'm here, Kira," the songstress' soothing voice calmed Kira as tears rolled down her smooth face, holding onto his warm hands.

It had been so long since they've been together, that the mere touch of Kira's hand sent shivers down her spine. No words could explain their bliss of having to reunite with each other, especially for Kira's case. He didn't care if she lied about her death or if she left him. He didn't care. Lacus was here for him, and it was all that mattered to Kira.

"Lacus!" he cried out as he pulled Lacus close, embracing her form ever so tightly as if fearing of losing her again.

His tears freely flowed from his closed eyes as he felt the warmth coursing through his body. Even Lacus was at this point shaking uncontrollably with happiness of reunion. Just like how a lonely wife awaits her beloved husband coming back from a long war, this was how they felt.

Never again will Kira let this person go, or leave from his sight. Never again will he face the pain of losing a loved one.

* * *

"On the Moon, of all places," Yzak said out as his squad and himself walked down the abandoned walkway of the ruins of Arzachel Lunar Base. Shiho quietly looked around with full intent, her previous gunfight engagement taught her well not to let her guard down.

"Well, when you leave an empty ruin like these for a year, it calls bad company," Dearka calmly said as he inspected the rubble in a collapsed doorway, "Strange though. It's destroyed, so why is there oxygen?"

"Bad company?" Shiho replied as she held her rifle close to her chest, "Besides, aren't we here for a reason? Obviously most of the black market trade routes and drug deals are done here, right Rei?"

"Mmhmm..."

"And what's the deal with these reports, Rei? You and Commander Yamato dying in an atmospheric accident?" the tanned blonde asked. Shiho listened in too. Even she was curious. Was it because they were trying to hide themselves from ZAFT and PLANTs? Shiho's guess was as good as anyone's.

"Oh that... We rigged the shuttle that we were on to explode as it left atmosphere. Lacus told me to do that."

"Wha-!? Lacus' alive!?" Dearka whispered out in question, even Yzak and Shiho were surprised.

Shiho suddenly remembered Kira's fit of rage and sadness that he suffered after Lacus' death. Poor thing must've had a rough time taking in the events after all that. Before she could finish her thought though, Shiho bumped straight into Reiatsuma's back.

"Shh," Reiatsuma knelt down as he held up a hand signal to stop as they slowly came upon a catwalk of a hangar, "There they are."

Yzak Joule squinted his eyes as he looked down at the small group, mouthing as he moved up, "Alright Shiho. ID the target."

"Got it," Shiho replied as she took out her long range scope-slash-camera and placed it against her helmet's visor,"Male, seems to be in late 20s-! Wait..."

"What's wrong, Shiho?" Yzak asked as he looked at her. Before she could answer, the scope suddenly turned dark as Reiatsuma closed the lens. Shiho frowned and looked at him, but the silver-eyed soldier just shook his head as if he was telling her that her eyes weren't meant to see the perpetrator in action.

After much waiting, the squad quietly rappelled down the catwalk and moved behind a destroyed Mobile Suit, while Dearka and Sara stayed behind to warn them should any more enemies come down their way. Shiho and Yzak quietly followed Reiatsuma's lead, but was stopped before they could proceed to ambush the perpetrators.

"Shiho...stay here, and don't move."

"What? Are you kidding me?"

"What's the problem, Hayabusa?" Yzak was impatient. Every second they were wasting, gives the drug dealers time to escape.

"It's nothing, I just need you to cover for us from here, Shiho."

"No way. I'm doing this," the brunette soldier protested. Reiatsuma gave her a cold stare that made her shiver inside, but she refused to back down. They were about to get into an argument, before a familiar voice reverberated through the empty space of the hangar.

"I know you're there, Rei. You can come out," the voice said as Reiatsuma frowned, standing up as he moved out of cover. As he did so, Shiho and Yzak heard footsteps leaving the area. It seems like some of the drug dealers were running away.

Despite that, the voice made Shiho's blood curdle as she felt her chest tighten. A very familiar voice, a voice she thought was lost to the fires of war. She accidentally dropped her rifle as she tried to make sense of what was going on. There was no way the voice was who she thought it was. It can't be...

This was what made Reiatsuma fearful of Shiho's involvement. Yzak was, as usual, out of the loop as he hid within the shadows making sure Shiho and himself weren't spotted. Shiho's hand was starting to shiver as she tried to steal a peek, while Yzak tried to stop her.

"..."

"Come on, call out your friends too. They shouldn't be shy, we're all allies here."

Shiho was the first to come out as she stepped into the light. Her worst fears were realised as her eyes fixed itselves on this new enemy.

"Brother..."

"Shiho!"

"Ah? If it isn't Shiho!? Are you doing well? I see you're a Red Coat. Mother and father would be proud," Shiho's supposed brother said outloud, not surprised at all by her appearance. Shiho was able to catch Reiatsuma forming a scowl inside his helmet as she stepped forward with Yzak behind her. Reiatsuma obviously didn't want Shiho to find out that her brother was turned into a machine.

"Brother? Shiho, he can't possibly-!"

"That I am, Commander Yzak Joule. I am Conrad Hahnenfuss, Shiho's long-lost brother," Conrad declared as he sat quietly on a large box, the sunlight shining into the hangar from a small crevice of the collapsed entryway.

Shiho's eyes were shaky as she watched her brother, alive and well. He looks the same. Brown hair, green eyes. But there was definitely something off.

"What did they do to you, brother?" she cried out as she took a step closer. Apparently, her question went unanswered as Conrad turned his gaze to Reiatsuma.

"Rei...I heard disturbing news. Lacus isn't dead," the apparent overall leader of Visotoniki said dryly as he started twirling his handgun playfully. Shiho was getting impatient as she watched her brother acting cold towards her. After all those years of searching and losing hope, he wasn't even giving her a second glance.

"Conrad! Answer me!" Shiho called out again as she stared defiantly into Conrad's eyes, expecting an answer.

Instead, a devastating gunshot tore the silence as a bullet wheezed past her hair, hitting the side of Reiatsuma's helmet instead. The pilot's helmet came off with a loud thud as it rolled across the floor. Reiatsuma was pushed back by the force of the bullet, his heel planted heavily against the ground. That was no normal handgun.

"Shiho!" Yzak cried out as he grabbed Shiho's arm, pulling her behind him and shielding her away from the smoking gun barrel.

"Be silent, Shiho. Or I'll shoot you next," Conrad's threat sent shivers down her spine, causing her to cower a step back.

"As I was saying-!"

Reiatsuma cut off Conrad's rantings by throwing a knife straight for the latter's face, while Conrad deflected it effortlessly, "You know I was never loyal to Visotoniki, Conrad. Or the Clyne Faction," came the reply as blood started trickling down the side of Reiatsuma's head.

"Apparently so. If you were, Lacus would be six feet under and Kira would be in Orb destroying Onogoro Island... Men, kill them all."

"Wha-!? Conrad!?" Shiho cried out again as she struggled within Yzak's grasp. Her eyes began to tear up as she watched her brother walk away from her while a group of black clad soldiers enter the area. This was no normal battle anymore. If Shiho and Yzak were to stay here, nothing will be left of them to even hold a burial.

"Dearka! Sara! Fall back to the shuttle!"

"No way! We're coming!"

"Shiho! Let's go!" Yzak pulled Shiho as she tried hard to squirm off of him, wanting to give chase to her brother. But was instead pulled and dragged back to where they were at the walkway between the location of the enemy to the hidden shuttle.

"Let me go, Yzak!" Shiho struggled stubbornly, but Yzak ran out of patience. If his hands could pass through her helmet and slap her face to snap her out of it, he'd do it. But instead of Yzak doing the striking, Reiatsuma gave a painful blow to Shiho's mid-section, causing her to pass out from the sudden pain. Yzak frowned, but that was good enough.

"You guys go on ahead. I have something to do here. I'll meet you back at the _Voltaire_!" Reiatsuma said as he stopped by a junction, his left eye closed as blood tainted one side of his face.

"The hell you will! There's no way outta here-!"

Before he could finish his sentence, bullets wheezed past them and snapping the ground near them. Yzak had no choice but to fall back with Shiho on his shoulder, quickly closing the bay doors of the shuttle they were on.

"Damn it, Hayabusa. Dearka, get us outta here."

* * *

Lacus quietly sat as Yzak reported the events that happened in the ruins of Arzachel Lunar Base. Despite her predictions, she never thought Visotoniki was capable of influencing even criminal organizations all over the Solar System. Now they were even out of Clyne Faction's control, let alone hers. She was grateful a fraction of its forces are loyal to her, especially Reiatsuma.

"As far as I'm concerned, Lacus. We need to eliminate Visotoniki or whatever this group is called, before we can really make a difference," Yzak suggested as he crossed his arms across his chest.

"I do agree, Yzak. But...there's virtually no way we can do that, besides hunting each one and killing them all," Lacus explained as she took a moment to think.

"I'm afraid I have to be pessimistic. This world is as good as gone as long as there's a rift between Naturals and Coordinators."

"You mean, one species has to be killed off to make way for the other? That doesn't seem to be the case in Orb, Yzak."

Yzak sighed in defeat as he rubbed his temples. He didn't mean to sound like Patrick Zala. But it was the truth.

"C-Commander! Miss Lacus! You have to come see this!"

"What is it?" Lacus asked questioningly as a jumpy crewman aboard Yzak's ship called to them both. Without wasting any time, both of them quickly made way to the hangar where a beat up shuttle sat quietly, surrounded by curious crewmen and pilots.

"What is this?" Yzak asked as he looked at the crewman.

"We opened the hatch...but...well see for yourself," he pointed inside.

Yzak and Lacus peeked into the ship, a deathly aura choking them as they entered. At the end of the cargo bay, lights flickering, was Reiatsuma Hayabusa. His arms across his chest quietly sitting with a blood-soaked bandage across one eye, his pilot suit burnt and half of his face scarred by what appeared to be chemical burns.

But what scared them both the most was how his eyes looked. It still held the physical form of a human, but the aura emanating from it was...like an ancient Demon awakened from its long slumber.

* * *

**AN: **I think this chapter fell short of what I expected it to be O_O I did what I could but... GAH! I need to improve damnit!

Just as Yzak has said. The first month after I finished watching GSD, I was pessimistic about the world ever recovering from war. As long as there are Coordinators, Naturals will always find reasons to blame them for their mishaps (eg. Coordinators took my job because of genetic intervention while Naturals have to work ten times harder just to get the same job)... Therefore, taking this into account, I MIGHT be taking this fanfic into a totally different direction from its previous attempt.

Maybe take Gilbert Durandal's Destiny Plan? ROFLCOPTER!~

Anyways! Thanks to all readers and supporters! I really really REALLY appreciate you guys taking your time reading this! Until next time!


	8. But Only One Little Duck Came Back

**_Trials And Lies_**

**_Chapter 8_**

_AN: This is the first Gundam Seed Fanfic by me and I deliberately wrote a Yzak & Shiho fanfic cause it is not so active... I also love this couple... And I don't own Gundam SEED or any of its counterparts... Too bad for me..._

**_As per my previous attempt at this story, I will use the same format..._**  
_Italics _represents a radio transmission from outside of the character's immediate location, as well as names of ships/mobile suits/vehicles.  
**Bold** represents the time jumps or current location (but I plan to reduce the focus on this, I'm sure it disrupts reading flow, doggamnit!)...

* * *

"Shh...Lacus save your strength. I'm here, don't you worry," Kira Yamato grasped for Lacus' cold hands, as his twin sister watched with heaviness in her chest.

Cagalli's eyes were about to burst into tears as she watched Kira futilely try to hold on to Lacus as she slowly started to slip away. It was already out of Cagalli's hands the moment she slipped two small tablets through Lacus' shivering lips without anyone noticing, slowly but surely, sending the PLANT Chairwoman into a state of suspended animation.

Two pills that were given by Lacus herself moments before she was shot. One would think she was trying to run away from her responsibilities by killing herself, but Cagalli knew better. She bit her lips while Lacus moved hers, trying to get the attention of her beloved as the strong wind blew past their hair and blood-stained clothes.

"Kira...I'm...sorry..." Lacus managed to say out with a whimper as she held on as tight as she could onto Kira's hand. Cagalli knew it wasn't because of Lacus dying, but more of her having to keep Kira out of the loop through one of the most painful ways she could imagine, which was the only solution at the time.

"La-...Lacus?" Kira called out to his beloved instinctively as her body went limp, her bloody face buried lifelessly against his chest. The drugs were finally taking its effect, slowing down Lacus' life processes.

"Lacus! Hey, wake up!" Cagalli tried waking up the 'dying' princess as she gave a few gentle slaps to her cheek. She felt bad for acting a death scene, "What's taking you so long to get there!?"

"We're reaching in a moment! Please hold on!" the pilot desperately cried out as the chopper slowly descended on the helipad of a large hospital in downtown Orb Union. They could have gone to a military hospital, but Cagalli didn't want to take any chances. The faster they got to one, the better. Kira was already broken down in tears as he hugged Lacus' limp form while a host of hospital staff came running with a stretcher.

Kira, as expected, refused to pass Lacus along to the professionals and instead kept her for himself...showing signs that sanity was slowly seeping away from him for that few moments. Cagalli had to call in the help of the two crewmen and even the pilot of the helicopter just to tear Kira away from Lacus, a sight she would never forget for life. That ominous aura that enveloped Kira, the strength he displayed to get away from his captors was too menacing to even call it human.

"Please, take her down quickly," Cagalli told the nurses as they quickly rushed Lacus into the elevator.

The silent breeze of the night caressed itself against Cagalli's cheeks as she watched Kira on all fours, the doors to the elevator sliding shut and befoee they knew it, Lacus was gone from their sight. There was nothing Cagalli could say to reach to her brother. She knew how it felt. She knew better than anyone else how one could feel after a loved one dies. Her father taught her that as his final lesson to her.

Cagalli couldn't take the sight of her brother and quickly went down the elevator, lest she too will break down in tears. Even though she was a tomboy, there are some things that can even break the wall around her heart. The cold atmosphere of the hospital didn't calm her down as thought after thought plagued her. Was it really true that Lacus lost control of PLANTs' Supreme Council? Cagalli remembered the PLANT's Chairwoman mention a puppeteer behind it all. But who was it?

As the elevator doors opened, so did Cagalli's attention when a tall lone figure in a black leather jacket with white cargo pants and boots entered the space, not even fazed by the amount of blood that stained Cagalli's white ceremonial uniform, nor the coppery stench of the red liquid. The heavy elevator doors slid shut once again as it recommenced its journey downwards.

"Wonderful evening isn't it, Lady Cagalli?"

"I take it you're the one Lacus told to meet. Karmen was it? How is she?" the Orb Representative questioned with an exhausted voice as she glanced to the figure beside her. Tall, lean and at the same time so menacing with that jet-black hair tied into a ponytail. Cagalli thought if this woman really was an élite soldier under Lacus' employ, or was a famous brassière model instead. Her skin was so fair, and her eyes, such magnificent silver orbs hiding behind those curtain of hair. Cagalli blushed to herself as she scratched her face in silent anxiety for staring.

"She's in good hands, Your Majesty," came the sultry but sarcastic reply, as Karmen smiled at Cagalli.

"What was she trying to accomplish anyway?"

"Its not her plan actually. Commander Hayabusa was the one who planned it all. Chairwoman Clyne is being hunted down by her own family."

"The guy who was supposed to be executed?"

After much explanation about the truth behind Clyne Faction and its child programme, Project VISOTONIKI, as well as its notorious deeds dating back from its inception, Cagalli finally understood why Lacus was being targeted by said organization. She knew that Lacus was one who never tolerated corruption or unfair treatment. And Visotoniki was, even by Coordinator standards, a blight against human kind. Ethically questionable, and inhumane. If found out, PLANTs would be accused of breaking more than a dozen international treaties.

Knowing that, Cagalli was surprised one such child was now standing beside her.

_How could one keep that smile on after all that devastating augmentations?_

Cagalli Yula Athha unbuttoned the top of her uniform as they exited the elevator, walking down the busy hallway of the pristine hospital. Eyes were at Cagalli as they watched quizzically about how the blood got to her uniform, some even felt alarmed but Cagalli didn't let it get to her as they approached the morgue where a few of the hospital staff stood outside as if something scary was in the room.

"L-Lady Cagalli! I'm glad you're here! There're terrorists in the morgue. We called the cops but they're not here yet," a medical staff spoke to Cagalli as her eyes questioningly looked at Karmen, who in return, gave the same sadistic smile she always wore.

"Huh? Uh well...don't worry, Doctor. They're from PLANTs and they need to send Lacus Clyne's body back to space for an immediate funeral," Cagalli gave a stiff reply as she entered the room, making sure none of them followed. Even she was surprised how fast she could come up with that lie.

"That is sure to spread the word around. It would work to our advantage, good work Representative," Karmen gave a 'good job' look as they entered the cold atmosphere of the morgue, which housed the dead. Cagalli's voiced choked in her throat as she could feel a deathly aura wafting in the silent air. _Thank god the lights are fully functional, or this would be a scene from a horror flick_, Cagalli thought to herself as they turned a corner.

By the end of the hall, stood four figures as tall and well-built as Karmen was and were all armed to the teeth with gas masks on. In the middle sat Lacus Clyne on a wheelchair, alive and somewhat well, her pale face a good couple with the choking dismal atmosphere of a morgue. The soldiers turned as soon as Karmen was within earshot. One of them held a datapad, that was displaying Lacus' overall health.

"Vice-Commander Valkyrie, recovery state is nominal. Even the wound is healing pretty well," the soldier gently took off Lacus' bandage and showed a closed wound that no longer bled.

"Even though Commander Konrad said they'd shoot her abdomen where the bulletproof plate was," Karmen quietly pondered while Cagalli looked at Lacus who was deep in thought, "He obviously wanted to take her head off, at that distance even a kid could hit you, Chairwoman. I'm glad the refracted window Rei told Orb to put kicked the bullet in a different trajectory."

"Lacus, are you okay?" Cagalli asked as she knelt in front of Lacus. She didn't care about the gamble Karmen and her ilk had tried on Lacus' life. No, rather than not care, she was pissed.

"Mmhm," the songstress nodded weakly with a small smile on her face, "The pain is all gone, I'm just having a bad headache."

"Must be the drugs still taking effect. I'm sorry, Ma'am, but we'll have to monitor you further when we're on the shuttle later."

"It's alright. I'll be okay," Lacus acknowledged the soldier's suggestion. Cagalli could see that Lacus was getting nauseous. Maybe it was the air.

"We shouldn't waste any time. Is the vehicle outside ready?" Karmen quietly placed her graceful fingers around the handle of the wheelchair Lacus was sitting on.

"Engines are running, Vice-Commander."

"Good. We'll head to the shuttle now. Come on, Chairwoman. The _Nocturnal Delta _is waiting for us," Karmen said with a genuine smile as Cagalli watched Lacus smile back weakly. Lacus then quickly asked for forgiveness from Cagalli for troubling her and Kira. But even though she was apologizing to Cagalli, the blonde could see and feel that Lacus was actually apologizing to Kira instead.

"Oh, and Cagalli? I'm not confident about it, but please be prepared for an attack. Konrad and his forces might be planning to hit Orb too," Lacus said as she disappeared through the doorway and into an ambulance, before speeding off down the road.

Cagalli pondered on the words Lacus told her before she left. An attack on Orb? Cagalli wanted to stick by the ideals of her nation. _Orb will not attack another nation, will not allow another nation to attack them, and will not intervene in the conflicts of other nations._ But this was turning personal for her.

At least, that's what her idle mind told her at the time.

* * *

_**A few weeks later...**_

"Adjust deceleration carefully, the refueling procedure is not what we are accustomed with," Yzak Joule commanded while the Captain of the _Voltaire _quietly watched the docking procedure from inside the ship's bridge. After the loss of the _Rousseau, _the _Voltaire's _sister ship, things were rather...unorganized on Yzak's end. All the roster had to be reshuffled and appointed appropriately and most missions that were assigned to his small fleet had to be abandoned due to insufficient hands.

Even the last mission for the interplanetary drug bust on Arzachel Base a few days ago was supposed to be a three-ship assault, but only the _Voltaire _and Lacus' newest Girty-Lue stealth ship, the _Nocturnal Delta, _participated in the operation. But with all things considered, Yzak never really liked on-foot missions. He'd rather be in the safety of his _GOUF Ignited _rather than face to face with blood and bullets, just like the rest of Joule Team.

But now, it was different. There was no longer any need to scout into enemy territory to take out key installations. Nothing so complex anymore. Before Yzak's ship, was the majority of the ZAFT, Orb Union and Earth Alliance Space forces as they took on a holding pattern with the Moon directly in front of the vanguard. After much investigation and cross-sharing information between the three nations, the Allied forces were able to pinpoint where majority of the Radical forces were stationed. The Lunar base ruins.

"Commander, a message from the _Gondwana. _We're in condition Orange," Shiho suddenly barged into the bridge of the ship in her red pilot suit as the crew in the bridge began to get busy, the chatter rising to a whole new level that day, "All the pilots are assembled in the ready room."

"Alright. Take care of things for me here will you?" Yzak said to the Captain of the ship who responded with a nod and smile, before Yzak quietly floated to Shiho's side to where the small elevator was. Yzak was tired of always going out for a life-threatening mission. He quietly thought to himself what he was going to retire as. He pondered if he really will be able to leave behind a soldier's life after all he's seen.

"Yzak? Are you...alright?" Shiho questioned him as the door hissed open, both of them grabbing onto the travelator's handles as they move down the quiet cold corridor towards the briefing room.

"Just a thought, Shiho. Don't have to worry about it."

"W-well...you can talk to me about it... if you want I mean!" Shiho was no less shy as she was the day she first embraced Yzak. In fact, it was getting slightly harder to maintain that ruse when they're bound by the laws of the uniform. Yzak in response just gave a generous smile for the gesture.

"I will keep that in mind, Shiho. But worry about yourself for the time being," the both of them entered the ready room where most of the pilots, both new and old, were waiting.

As per the usual 'ritual' before a briefing, Yzak read through the reports passed on by Command while the rest continued chatting away in an effort to make full use of their peacetime that they can get before a chaotic battle. Such simple acts of social communication served a good barrier between coming back alive, and coming back alive totally scarred.

Not that it matters for the senior members of the Joule Team, for they knew that every battle fought, brings along with it bad news. No battles bring in good news when you realize all war does is to take away lives. A husband or wife, a father or a mother...even a child can be sacrificed when caught in the flames of war. The reason Yzak and the rest trained so hard, was that they could minimize the loss of life as much as they can.

Yzak Joule cleared his throat loudly as he stepped to the front of the boisterous room filled with newly commissioned pilots, except for Yzak and a small handful of old-timers. Its been such a long time through the fight, that it was almost impossible to find a whole squad filled with veterans. This many years into the fight, almost everyone's a replacement.

"Time to shut up, guys, come on," Yzak said more to himself than he did to the occupants of the room. Unexpectedly, the whole briefing room went silent, his loyal subordinates, Shiho Hahnenfuss and Dearka Elsman, sitting quietly at the front of the assembly. Goes to show how menacing Yzak's aura was right there and then. And who could blame him.

"We don't have much time to rest. Even if its after the war, we still have much to do," he says as he stifles a yawn, obviously from all the exhausting work, "Now that we're being pushed back to the frontlines, our goals and targets will change."

After such a long time since the end of the war, the Radical forces were given more than enough opportunities to regroup and grow as a whole while PLANTs, Orb and EAF worried about post-war relief efforts. Because of that, most of the Moon bases were now hives for the terrorist activities, illegal arms and drugs manufacturing and the latest one discovered, black market for live human organs as well as human trafficking.

With the income from all that, any idiot could build an army.

"Commander, the Radicals numbers are initially small. How can such a force have hoped to even overcome so much ground?" one of the newer, more eager pilots sounded off, his arm in the air.

"Obviously, you have not followed the news on PLANTs. But for your sake, and the rest who might share the same brain matter with you, I will explain," Yzak said with a frown as he placed his file gently on the nearest desk, "I'm sure you've heard why the 'Radicals' exist."

"That we do, Commander."

"Well then, you would know that most of them are Coordinators. And using their skills or some other unknown venues, they managed to annex other smaller terrorist cells into their ranks while we were-" Yzak Joule got mad suddenly about what he was going to say but restrained himself, "...busy chasing waterfalls. We have a prime suspect on who's the mastermind of the Radicals are, but no concrete evidence as of yet."

Yzak quietly noticed throughout the briefing that Shiho was just quietly staring at the floor. It really was alot for her to take in. After so many years of searching for her brother and never giving up hope, she finally found him in the center of a very dark and shady business. The platinum blonde couldn't even count with his hands how many times he had heard her sigh heavily.

"As I was saying," Yzak's voice came over, him blushing too as he coughed, "The _Voltaire will _be joining the Allied Advance Forces to take back the Daedelus tonight. Its going to be messy...but...well...who am I kidding, since when has a battle ever gone according to plan."

"Commander..." a few of the pilots whispered to themselves. Because most of them were new, they haven't really seen how Yzak and the more experienced members worked in combat under pressure. Naturally, they'd feel nervous and scared. Dearka suddenly manned up.

"Don't worry, Yzak. This is just another day for us ZAFT pilots. Besides, we're at the back of the advancing forces. If anything, we'll be the first to know, the last to get hit," Dearka claimed as he smiled at Yzak, the few pilots in the room nodding at their own discretion and standing up to salute, marking the end of the briefing as they all left leaving the trio.

"Right... Get prepared and good luck, everyone."

Shiho, as expected, was the last to leave. Being deep in her own thoughts, even an explosion wouldn't shake her. Yzak quietly sat down beside her while Dearka shut the door, thinking it'll be better to just leave the two. The room was silent, with only the sound of the air-condition whirring away. Yzak found comfort in its noise, hiding his own breath under it as he turned to Shiho.

"Shiho...you sure you wanna take part in the next sortie?" Yzak asked with a concerned tone, his face for the first time, showing a worried look on that day.

"Mhmm. I'll be fine," came the short reply a few seconds later before she stood up, "I just...need some time alone."

Before Shiho could start making her way towards the exit, Yzak grabbed onto her arm tightly and not letting her go. He has been a Commander for a few years. He knew how to deal with subordinates who had seen too much and not able to cope with it. Shiho was the same case. And he did what he had always done to those he felt aren't suited for frontline combat duty.

"Shiho. I need you to sit this one out," Yzak's stern order fell upon Shiho's ears, who slowly spun around with a quizzical look on her face, as if she heard something that she wasn't supposed to hear.

"What are you talking about, Yzak?"

"There's no way you can go out there in this condition. Stay in the ship," the silence of the briefing room only boosted the power of Yzak's orders, but Shiho refused to back down.

"You're kidding me! Here we are at the front lines, against my own brother. And you wanna pin me down?"

Yzak didn't know what to reply to Shiho's protest. There was no way he could. He would act the same way she did if he was in her shoes. But he needed something quick. Something to make sure the young brunette remains within the ship and not out there where a single moment of distraction could prove lethal. It was too risky even for an experienced pilot such as Shiho.

"Stand down, Shiho. That's an order."

"But-!"

"You are combat ineffective, Lieutenant!" Yzak raised his voice as his grip on Shiho's arm grew tighter, "Not only will you be putting your own life in danger, but also that of others! You are a hindrance to us all! Now stand down before I use force!"

"A-...a hindrance?" Shiho whispered to herself as she stared defiantly at Yzak. He could see in her shaky eyes that she never expected to hear those words from her own beloved Commander. But here they were. Shiho's face contorted with mixed feelings, before she aggressively snapped her arm away from Yzak's hold causing him to gasp in surprise.

Before Yzak could respond to that, Shiho was already out of the briefing room, leaving him alone in the silent briefing room to ponder on his own words.

* * *

Kira always liked the interior of Lacus' own ship, the _Eternal._

Shaped ever so sharply with those handsome edges and all painted in her favorite bubblegum pink. Coupling that with the most advanced weapons and engines ever manufactured, it was unbeatable. But if he were to compare it to another, Kira would choose the _Nocturnal Delta, _a ship specifically purposed for stealth scouting deep behind enemy lines as well as being able to rival a regular-sized fleet on its own with an array of arsenal. Even its bridge was designed to be combat effective, where a crew could easily see what was below the ship just by looking at his feet as if it was a transparent ship.

Even now as it slowly floated by the outskirts of the imminent battle, its Mirage Colloid capabilities shields itself from unfriendly eyes. By his side, Lacus Clyne sighed quietly as even her thoughts drifted to the _Eternal, _now in the hands of the traitors of her own family faction. But what worried them more than anything for now, was the fact that the supreme leader of her shadow forces, the Visotoniki, was letting a huge force creep up on him on the Moon._  
_

"Something's not right, Kira. Konrad is being unusually lax in his security," she voiced out her concern to the man standing at her side as they watched Mobile Suit teams being deployed from various ships of all three nations. A huge force comes up to your doorstep and you didn't even mobilise your force? Something was definitely up.

"He's the overall in-charge of Visotoniki, right? Yeah. Something definitely is amiss," Kira spoke out as he adjusted his uniform, now back to how he was, all freshened up and ready to take on anything compared to a few days ago where he seemed as if a single knife would take his life.

"It's Commander Konrad's usual tactic. A few flies won't know they're in a spider's nest," Karmen whispered as she took her place in the Captain's chair, "But once they find out they're stuck, it would already be too late. Right now...the Super-Carrier _Gondwana _is the biggest, fleshiest bug in Konrad's web."

"Wait! You knew about this!?" a violent outburst came from Kira as he walked up to Karmen's side, who was still wearing her usual sadistic smile, "And no warnings were given to them?"

"We'd just compromise ourselves, Commander Yamato. We have to play Konrad's game or we would never catch up to him," Karmen shook her head at Kira's suggestion. Before they could continue their conversation, a crewman turned to the female commando.

"Vice-Commander Valkyrie, we have thermal coming from behind the _Gondwana. _Count, 20 at least," the male soldier said. Now that Kira was able to look around, he noticed that all of the crew that was in the _Nocturnal Delta _were the same. Jet-black hair, well built, and with those trademark silvery eyes to boot.

"They're here... Rei, you okay in there?"

"_Yeah. The Hierarch's systems are green, nothing wrong on the monitors."_

_"_I'm talking about you... How are you feeling?"

_"...Chairwoman Clyne, your orders?" _came the radio reply as Reiatsuma ignored Karmen's concern. Lacus quietly walked over to the Captain's chair, and with her usual confidence that she had always put on before a battle, gave out her command. Kira was pissed. He hated sitting down and watching as the battlefield went by. It was his one weakness. But looking at Lacus' determined eyes, he immediately turned docile.

"Save as many as you can, Rei..."

* * *

"Commander Joule to Joule Team. I don't have to remind you to prep up. We're deep in enemy territory as it is," Yzak calmly said inside his helmet as he pressed a few buttons and keys here and there.

_"This is the Reconnaissance unit to Command. Currently, enemy strength is... a Nelson-Class Battleship, Three Nazca-Class Destroyers, a Girty Lue-Class Battleship...and...that's it." _

_"Command to Recon...Are you sure?" _

_"Y-yeah...Long range scanners and scopes suggest no other enemy vessels within the vicinity of the Lunar bases."_

_"Something's wrong. All Allied Forces, proceed with caution."_

"We're outnumbering them? This isn't normal-!"

_"Yzak! Here they come!"_ Dearka broke into the radio as a small swarm of enemy mobile suits quickly approached the front vanguard, far from where Yzak's battle-group was.

"_Looks like Orb's doing well on the front. ZAFT might just sit back on this one,_" one of the rookie pilots in Yzak's team broke the radio silence as the enemy swarmed the front guard of the advancing Allied Forces.

"Shut up. Keep your guard up. If I see any of you slacking, I'll slap you with a week's latrine duty!" Yzak raised his voice into his comms as he looked around the battlefield through the screen. Nothing much to go on. Its like, all that intel about the large number of enemies was folly. Yzak couldn't help but feel uneasy as his _GOUF Ignited _stood quietly atop the _Voltaire_.

_"T-this is the Gondwana! Command! We're under attack!" _the radio suddenly burst out-loud on an open channel, the commander of ZAFT's Super-carrier cried out with his voice in a real panic. Yzak's stomach twisted into a knot as his team turned to view the _Gondwana_.

_"W-what!? Rear guard's being attacked!? Recon! What the hell are you doing!?"_

_"This is Recon! There's nothing on radar, Sir! We can't track anything!"_

"Tsk! Goddamn civilians! Joule Team! On me!" Yzak burst out as his mobile suit's engines roared out with extreme force, weaving through the countless mobile suits and ships of the Allied forces. There really wasn't anything on the radar! Though the _Gondwana_ was there with holes in it from all the explosions and beams. It was already fuming and Yzak was nowhere near it despite the powerful engines of his machine.

_"Gondwana, this is Command! Retreat from the battle-space!" _too much frantic voices filled up Yzak's ears, he was getting confused.

_"The Kusanagi is under attack! Athrun, are you alright?"_

_"Command, this is the Athena. We have to leave the battle-space. Luna! Shinn! I need you overhead now!"_

_"Command. We just lost the Montgomery. No escape pods detected."_

_"G-gaghh! B-Barfest is lost!"_

Yzak's head was spinning so much, that only the bright explosion and shattering vibration from the destroyed Gondwana Super-carrier was able to really shake him out. He was too late! ZAFT's only super-carrier, capable of carrying hundreds of mobile suits, was gone just like that and they did not know the cause! All the beam-fire and rockets, all came out of nowhere as they watched the huge behemoth take its final breath before exploding into a million pieces of space debris.

_"B-battle report. The Gondwana is lost. No survivors detected."_

"What's going on!?"

_"YZAK! Sound the retreat!"_ Shiho's voice came over all of the channels, her voice in panic as the _Voltaire _quickly closed in on his Mobile Suit. After turning back, Yzak could see the widespread anarchy among the allied forces advancing force. So many casualties in such a short time. Was this a new weapon?

"_Voltaire,_ retreat. My team, converge on this ship and create an opening, we have to punch a hole through."

_"...I take my words back, Commander! Orb got its butt kicked!"_

"SHUT UP! Dearka...do you think it is-"

_"Definitely...its Mirage Colloid."_

_"Woah! What's that red glowing trail!?"_

_"Yzak! Its the-!"_

_"_The _Hierarch_!?"

* * *

**_Meanwhile on the other side of the battlefield_...**

_"Luna!" _Shinn's voice reverberated into the bridge of the ship as the _Athena's_ Captain witnessed the carnage before him. The whole battle space was littered with explosions, beams and panic. Not that he hasn't seen one before, but this was horribly unexpected. How modern warfare has changed! Ryuzaki Kidouya quickly issued the retreat flares as the ship turned towards a less crowded aerospace.

The _Destiny _quickly zoomed past the _Athena, _apparently chasing down stray enemy Mobile Suits that was trying to take down _Impulse_.

_"Athena! Captain, where are you?" _Lunamaria's voice crackled into the frequency as the _Impulse _weaved in between the enemies easily and smoothly.

"We're retreating. Its obviously a trap," Ryuzaki's voice came on as the _Destiny_ literally pulled the _Impulse_ out of harm's way.

_"Gah! Pay attention, Luna! You could've died!"_

_"W-What!? Its not my fault!..."_

_"This is what happens when you skip trainin-!"_

_"Don't even go there!"_

_"Y_ou two! I'll put you both on time out! I don't care how you do it, Shinn. Just PLEASE get her back in here right now!_"_ the Captain pleaded for them to quickly come back. But they were waist deep in trouble as it is. By the way Shinn was flying, Ryuzaki knew he didn't know friend from foe any longer. Though, it didn't take long for them to return to the hangar.

_"Alright, Captain! We're in!"_

"Captain! An unknown Mobile Suit is entering our battle-space! IFF(Identification Friend or Foe) is reading positive!"

"Maintain course towards the battle space's ex-! Wait... It's the _Hierarch. _Rei!?"

"_Hierarch's _not decreasing his speed, Captain. He's heading straight for the Moon!"

As observed, the red glowing Mobile Suit left a long trail as it sped through the anarchic battlefield, taking out hindrances as it needed while making its way towards the Moon base. Most of those who knew the _Hierarch,_ were confused at its destination, not even stopping to aid the ships in peril. After a few minutes, it was already gone from radar and visual, and already deep within the enemy's lines.

The battle was over before it even began for the Allied Forces.

* * *

The ZAFT Headquarters had never been so busy as the whole crew, even the ones on reserve, were being activated after the battle on the Moon. One could tell immediately that the Allied Forces had suffered a crippling defeat even with insurmountable numbers against the enemy. Recovery from the event would prove to be a grueling one for all three nations.

Even the the ships, or what remained of them, from other nations like Orb and EAF were seeking assistance within the Headquarters as ship after ship forced their way into the docking bays of ZAFT's headquarters. It was a horrendous sight. Most ships suffered a major structural damage, with some even losing half of its body on the way back to base, while others were in no shape to navigate into space, let alone fight.

And that wasn't even including the ones in the distance, scurrying hard to get to ZAFT. A few met with accidents, crashing into another ship and causing explosions which sent tremors all over the base. Yzak Joule winced as he watched a ship crash into the outer hull of ZAFT's Headquarters. It was hell on PLANTs. He quietly paced near the bay doors of the ship with his team standing at attention in front of him, while the rest of the area had gone to oblivion.

They were lucky they got out of that one alive, even more miraculous that the _Voltaire _did not suffer any major damages.

"As a member of ZAFT's Peacekeeping Force, I'm expecting you to maintain at least good decorum and professionalism! What you said out there was blatantly uncalled for, you idiot!" a pissed off Yzak shouted as he side-hooked his subordinate newbie pilot, who crashed against a few of his greenhorn comrades.

"I-I'm sorry, Commander!" the rookie pilots quickly stood up straight under Yzak's menacing glare, the one who got punched bleeding from his mouth slightly, his cheek swollen and bruised. Dearka and Sara quietly looked on by the side, not wanting to show their soft side yet in fear of them stepping on their heads, but also amused at Yzak's outburst of violence.

"Let this be a reminder! If I hear one more jeering or any nonsense, I'll kill you myself!" he finally claimed as he walked over to Sara, who just got back from the Command Center to get a situation report from the crippling battle they just had. Morale was at an all time low, that even Yzak and Dearka were edgy.

Yzak gently took the report from Sara's hand, sighing as he looked at the figures. He frowned hard and balled up his fists tightly, his fingers turning white under the pilot suit. Scratching his head in frustration, he passed it back to her, eyeing him as if wanting an opinion.

"It was horrible to say the least. Almost half of our advancing forces were wiped out...including the _Gondwana_. Thousands of lives lost too," Yzak slowly turned to his rookie pilots, "I don't know how you guys could have put such a happy face during the battle, saying all that crap. We lost thousands of our own people, you could've at least shut up."

The newbies just bowed their heads, guilty and repentant of their actions. Even though some might say that the remarks they made had no relations, in actual fact, it did. It did a WHOLE lot of impact psychologically. To say 'Orb got its butt kicked' is the same as asking someone in depression to commit suicide. The enemy was laughing at them, their plan on psychological warfare worked! On top of all those death tolls.

"That is all I can say to you guys as your Commander. There's nothing more I can offer you," Yzak finally hissed as he dismissed his pilots, leaving him alone with Dearka and Sara. Shiho, in the meantime was nowhere to be seen. As Yzak expected, she was still pissed with Yzak's earlier comment. It wasn't uncalled for, but it was hurtful. Or so he thought.

"Yzak..." Shiho softly whispered under her breath, appearing from out of nowhere as she placed a gentle hand on his stiff shoulder.

"Shiho...you okay?" Yzak asked for the thousandth time that that day, his face showing a sign of exhaustion from having to deal with his unit. Shiho just gave a gentle nod as a reply, not wanting to meet her Commander's eyes. Dearka, and Sara, thinking they needed time alone, quickly made their way out of the area.

"Come on, Sara! Let's go check our Mobile Suits," came the suggestion from the tanned blonde.

"But we checked it before debriefing..."

"JUST!... Follow me..." Dearka was getting tired of Sara's airheadedness, but entertained it just for the fun of it. Before long, Yzak and Shiho were alone by the bay doors of the _Voltaire._

Shiho gave off that uncomfortable aura as she stood with her head bowed near Yzak. This was the first time Yzak saw her like this, and he had no idea how to deal with such a behavior from her. As of now, he had already considered them both to be more than just comrades in arms and he obviously knew, now was not the time to act as a Commander, but a caring partner.

"Shiho, look at me," Yzak said as his hands started to feel fidgety. He's not good in inter-human behaviour this intimate, but he had to start some day. Not receiving any response from his subordinate, Yzak gently grabbed her shoulders, trying to catch her attention. The surrounding noise of the busy docking bays were suddenly drowned out as Shiho raised her face to meet Yzak's.

"..." Shiho still remained silent, her eyes hesitant.

"I'm sorry for saying that you're a hindrance. You were never one," he said with a genuine caring tone, "You're always an important part of the team. I just...didn't want you to get hurt-!"

"What am I to you, Commander..."

"Huh?"

"You said, I'm an important part of the team. Am I important to you?"

"Oh well...that's...umm..." Yzak's face suddenly turned red as he tried to wreck his brain open for answers to one of the most dangerous questions a woman could ever ask to a man. Of course Shiho was important to him as a comrade and as a life partner. But to say it out loud, he was hesitant. They were living in a war-torn world. Anything can happen and he didn't want to put Shiho in a position where she would be hoping too much from such a relationship that could easily be ended with an explosion or an accident.

"Why, Yzak? You're always hesitating. Just tell me," Shiho demanded as she furrowed her brows, showing her impatience.

"You can't force me to decide our relationship now, Shiho. You know how it is," Yzak unconsciously stepped closer to her as he held her by her wrist gently.

"Oh...I know how it is, alright. You're scared to commit yourself, Yzak. If that was the reason you shouldn't have made the move on me in the first place...and played with my feelings," she venomously hissed as she took hold of Yzak's arm that was holding hers, and threw it aside away from her before turning to walk back into the ship. Yzak was speechless as he watched her retreating back. What was he going to say anyway? Her explanation of his behavior was consistent with what he felt, even though it felt so painful.

Yzak sighed heavily as he looked at his hand. He's had enough drama for one day, it was time for him to turn in for the night.

* * *

The scream of agony haunted the hallway of the Lunar base ruins, causing a few of the children to sniffle in fear as they clutched to their parents' clothes. But try as they might to run away from the horror of the nightmare they were facing, it didn't stop. It only got worse as the deafening sounds of gunfire tore through the air like a thunder during a chilly and eery night.

The children were already starting to cry as their parents watched with hopeless eyes through the steel bars of the prison they were in. Such a life was never what they expected, imagined nor wanted. But here they were now, fighting against the gnawing cold of the damp atmosphere with only their loved ones beside them as comfort. Even though, they soon will be taken away and sold to the highest bidders of the underworld.

"Mommy...I wanna go home..." a child whimpered weakly to her mother as she buried her face into her mother's bosom, the flickering lights glimmering upon them like that of a dying sun shining down on withering plants. Their faces were tainted with dirt and scars from harsh treatments past...even the children's bodies had their own stories to tell.

"Shh, its okay, Serina. Mommy and Daddy are here. Its going to be okay," her mother reassured her, even though most of the adults there knew...it was a hopeless situation. There was nothing to fight against, for the thumb of those in power were pushing down on them without effort. The nightly ritual of screams and gunshots were almost burned into their minds. But this time, the gunshots were meant for a different enemy.

From the shadows of the hallway, Reiatsuma limped over to the prison cells as he quietly took out the key card. The faces of the captured innocents turned bright as they watched Reiatsuma slide the card down the reader, effectively unlocking all the cells. With smiles on their faces, they quickly got up against the hunger and chill of the cold and walked up to thank their savior, but hesitated as they saw the burn scars on his face and the blood that was dripping from his combat gear, pooling onto the floor as if he was a melting snowman.

With a deep and ragged breath, Reiatsuma told the last group of captured civilians what he told the countless others before them, "Follow the dead bodies...there will be a ship waiting for you at the end."

Despite the heavy air, one of the older ones quickly took lead and with caution and organization, led the group down the hallway where countless of those that tortured them lay dead in their own pools of blood. The strong smell of death choking them as they moved. Reiatsuma, on the other hand, just leaned back against a wall and slid down with a loud thud on floor. His energy was spent, the remains of it slowly sipping away with the oozing blood.

"Mister? Are you okay?" a small child, alone, and barely the age of five watched Reiatsuma as his breathing slowly became labored. It was even miraculous that he was able to survive up till now. Gunshot wounds all over his body, with a few knife stabs on his chest, not to mention a phosphorous grenade that almost burnt half of his combat garb off. All thing's considered, he's in good condition.

"H-hey, Ray! Come on!" an older child called to the small boy, Ray. But Ray did not respond, instead finding the blood and wound-riddled Reiatsuma to be interesting. The dying soldier smiled deep inside his heart as he watched the boy, even though his lips was contorted in pain. As a final gesture, Reiatsuma took out the dog-tags that he held on for so long, and added his own to the other two that was on the chain.

"Hello Ray...can you...take this to the mean smiling lady when you get home safely?"

"Okay! Will you be there?"

"Of course..."

"Ray! Let's go!" the older kid finally pulled the younger one away, quickly catching up to the group.

Time was running out. In the distance, Reiatsuma could hear the radio of the enemy abuzz as they found the guards that were on patrol not reporting back. It was only a matter of time before they find out that the prisoners were on a...prison-break. Reiatsuma weakly looked at his black rugged watch as he turned it clockwise, causing it to boot up some sort of light which reflected on the ground. It was some sort of a code only his unit and himself could understand.

_"Commander Hayabusa, please respond," _a robotic female voice came in through his communicator as he watched the code word in front of him. It was such a serene time of the night if it were on Earth. The moonlight would have felt so great, but now, the silver-eyed soldier could feel the moon's light engulfing him as the lights of the room finally went out.

_"Victor Seven-One-Niner, please respond, your vitals are reading critical."_

_"_I'm here, _Hierarch_. Are the last of the civilians on board the shuttle?" his voice forced itself out of his throat, resulting in a husky weak tone. Reiatsuma was slowly getting dizzy as he laid his head back, the pool of blood that was accumulating on the floor steadily penetrating the fabrics of his pants as it stained his cold skin.

"_Affirmative, Commander. Enemy intervention is imminent. I recommend a full retreat ASAP," _came the dry reply. The silver-eyed soldier took a moment to digest the suggestion from _Hierarch's _AI (Artificial Intelligence). After much thought he quietly closed his eyes as his fingers started to feel numb, the light of his watch shivering from his shaking.

"Nullify. _Hierarch, _transport the shuttle full of civilians safely back to the _Nocturnal Delta. _Avoid enemy capture at all cost. Divert all energy to engines."

"_Processing... Understood, Commander. Starting engines."_

As soon as the reply came, Reiatsuma could hear the engines of the _Hierarch _roaring through the hallways. After a small shudder, the engine's noise slowly dissipated as the Mobile Suit and the shuttle got further and further away from dodge. With a huff, Reiatsuma took off his pack as he placed it aside, the contours of the bag revealing a sticker with a radioactive sign on it.

"When I'm called to duty, God, wherever flames may rage, give me strength to save a life, whatever be his age," Reiatsuma quietly pressed a button on the watch as he quietly whispered to himself the Fireman's creed, an occupation he remembered that he longed for when he was but a small toddler, before Project VISOTONIKI took hold of him.

"Help me to embrace a little child, before it is too late," with a click, the watch began processing the orders as he heard footsteps slowly filling the hallways. "Or save an older person from the horror of that fate."

"What the hell! They're all dead!" a voice strayed into Reiatsuma's ears as the enemy got closer.

"Enable me to be alert, to hear the weakest shout. And quickly and efficiently put the fire out," Reiatsuma slowly got sleepy as his face turned blue. Turning the face of the watch again, a mechanical voice slipped into his communicator while the enemy's heavy footsteps got ever closer.

"_Commander Reiatsuma Hayabusa, Codenumber Victor Seven-One-Niner. Voice Command required."_

"And if according to your will, I have to lose my life. Bless with your protecting hand..." Reiatsuma paused as he eyed the code word that his watch was displaying, "...My children and my wife..."

_"Commander Hayabusa, speak the coded command exactly as displayed."_

_"_Over here! The prisoners' all gone! But I found a guy," the enemy stood at the doorway. But Reiatsuma didn't even turn to look. His eyes...still transfixed on the code on the floor.

"...Coded command authorization... 'Do svidaniya, Voskhod 3'... (Goodbye, Sunrise 3...)"

And before the enemy even realized it, the whole room burned brightly.

* * *

The battle between the Allied Forces and the Radicals was long over, but Kira and Lacus were still on their toes as the _Nocturnal Delta _still maintained its orbit far from the Moon, awaiting Reiatsuma and the _Hierarch's_ return with the captured civilians who were involved in the human trafficking network that Visotoniki had organized.

"Vice-Commander Valkyrie, we've picked up the _Hierarch's _signal!" a crewman happily said as he smiled to Karmen, who returned the soldier with a genuine smile of her own. Lacus and Kira breathed a heavy sigh of relief as they watched the _Hierarch _carrying a transport shuttle in its mechanical arms.

"Good job, Rei. Knew you could do-!" before Karmen could finish her sentence, an enormous explosion erupted on the surface of the Moon where the enemy base was. The bridge lit up a brilliant color of blue than slowly hued to a destructive red as the explosion took out most of what was in its radius, making another huge crater on its scarred surface.

"A nuclear explosion, regular magnitude, off of Arzachel Lunar Base. Did the Commander set it?" a fellow crewman asked another.

"Wasn't in the orders as far as I know. What do you think, Vice-Comm-!"

"Rei! Respond!" Kira and Lacus jumped at Karmen's sudden verbal outburst, her fist heavy on the controls of her seat. Receiving static instead, she quickly changed her communications channel, "Damn it! _Hierarch! _Answer me!"

"_Hierarch preparing to receive, Vice-Commander Valkyrie."_

_"_Where is Commander Hayabusa?"_  
_

"_Commander Hayabusa, Codenumber Victor Seven-One-Niner, issued an override order, a full retreat of civilians while he stayed behind. Commander Hayabusa's last known active location is on Arzachel Lunar Base before a nuclear device explosion, and is currently designated as MIA."_

_"..."_

The whole crew of the_ Nocturnal Delta _went quiet as they tried digesting what _Hierarch's _AI just reported. Kira and Lacus both stood there speechless as they watched Reiatsuma's team respond to his 'Missing in Action' status. It was obvious what his fate was. Even the couple could tell. For the first time ever, Kira saw Karmen's face lose her usual sadistic smile, taking now a more neutral look on her face.

"Understood, _Hierarch_. Return to base," Karmen commanded to the AI as it sped towards the ship. Before anyone could say anything, Karmen was already out of the bridge in a hurry.

"Rei..." Kira whispered to himself as he watched the side of the Moon that was marred by Reiatsuma's handiwork. Kira felt bad all of a sudden as he remembered the beatings that he had done on Reiatsuma. But as much as he wanted to stay and mourn the loss of one of ZAFT's soldiers, the enemy was hot on the _Hierarch's _tail. Even if it was a heavy loss, both Kira and Lacus thought it was a necessary sacrifice if it had come to that.

Most of the civilians are alive and on board the shuttle that was in the _Hierarch's _clutches, and most are thankful for the save, but all that would be wasted if the _Hierarch _gets within range of the enemy's weapons. Kira quickly zipped his suit up as he prepared to go out in the _Freedom _to fend off the enemies from _Hierarch's _back.

"Kira... Be careful out there, okay?" Lacus said as she hugged him from behind, burying her face into his back. It seemed that she took the loss harder than he had thought.

"I'll be okay. These innocent civilians will enjoy freedom before this ends," the young Coordinator said to his beloved as he gave a gentle kiss on Lacus' lips, "Everything will be okay, Lacus. I promise."

* * *

**AN: **Apologies if this chapter is much MUCH longer than the previous chapters. I just wanted to experiment how it goes (whether if its comfortable for readers or no). Please send in your feedback if you have any (preferably in PM form) and I will tailor accordingly if need be! Again thanks to all readers and/or visitors! LOL

And again, thanks to** Rouge-Impulstice1** and **Voltage Axe** for reading and providing me insightful suggestions! Also to **Elza Eldaniella 1, alphariuslau** and **amwick **for favouriting and/or following my story! You guys have no idea how much support just a click of a mouse could do! Well the same effort could also send me tumbling to despair but what the heck, that's life! Just like how we lost Rei in this, good things will come to those who do their best.

**Anyways!** I hope you guys enjoyed reading this as much as I enjoyed writing! Do svidaniya, everyone! (LOL no I'm not Russian!)


	9. Uniforms & Emotions Don't Mix

**_Trials And Lies_**

**_Chapter 9_**

_AN: This is the first Gundam Seed Fanfic by me and I deliberately wrote a Yzak & Shiho fanfic cause it is not so active... I also love this couple... And I don't own Gundam SEED or any of its counterparts... Too bad for me..._

**_As per my previous attempt at this story, I will use the same format..._**  
_Italics _represents a radio transmission from outside of the character's immediate location, as well as names of ships/mobile suits/vehicles.  
**Bold** represents the time jumps or current location (but I plan to reduce the focus on this, I'm sure it disrupts reading flow, doggamnit!)...

* * *

"Hey, Ian! Did you see the latest issue of the magazine?" a few boys crowded in a corner of a busy classroom with a high school student named Ian at the center of attention, going through a magazine that would have left Lacus herself turn as red as a rose. The young man almost didn't want to reply as he was engrossed in the proportions of a certain model's heavenly body. With the Wednesday noon breeze gently sifting through his midnight-blue hair, there was no way he'd let distractions take him.

A few girls at the other side of the room just gave disgusted looks in response to how the male counterparts of their class were acting. Even if they are at the height of their sexual activeness, it is never acceptable if displayed in school or public. Or so they thought. Things went as normally as they usually would in one of the high schools within PLANTs. Even if there was a war waging, studies are still priority one!

"...What have we here?..." a deep male voice immediately broke the circle of young male hyenas, effectively dissolving their daily 'ritual'.

"Ah-! Wait! It's not-!"

"Detention! All of you!"

To the students...the discipline master had always been a much more scary evil than that from a nuclear warhead...

...Until now...

* * *

ZAFT headquarters was slowly finding peace and solace a few weeks after the critical hit they took from the battle to reclaim the Lunar bases from Radicalist factions. After much talks and conferences between all three nations, they found themselves significantly weakened after the loss. ZAFT had its fighting capacity down to a measly one-third, while Orb Union and the Earth Atlantic Federation lost close to half of their total armada.

Hubris.

That was ZAFT's greatest mistake. Launching all they had without weakening the enemy before hitting, nor knowing its full potential. Most tacticians say that a battle is mostly won through the use of information and knowledge against the enemy. With the souls of more than half a hundred taken away, ZAFT learned its lesson. Extending its defense net, abandoning all missions of peacekeeping and relief on Earth as well as PLANTs with full focus on defense.

What they didn't learn from the experience, was how futile it was when the enemy is already on the inside.

"General, I'm getting a reading of an unauthorized frequency from Decemberius colony sir," a techie in the usual green ZAFT uniform turned to his superior. Within that dark hall of consoles and monitors that was manned to the last by experienced hackers from PLANTs, the bespectacled soldier could see his superior furrow his brow.

"Isolate that signal."

"Yes, sir," as soon as the seasoned General gave the order, the tech officer started mashing on his keyboard. At first the hall was filled with static, then came an audio-only signal between different sources. ZAFT's network defense unit remained silent as they listened in.

"_Hotel Quebec, Alpha Lima has activated Papa-Alpha-Lima. We're in place, and ready."_

_"Clear skies from Zone Delta to the Capital, Hotel Quebec."_

_"Delta One-Seven, already on our way out."_

_"_I want someone to triangulate these chatter and narrow it down now!" the General commanded, his husky voice carrying not only influence but also power, "Tell the 3rd Fleet to mobilize to Decemberius immediately!"

"_Hotel Quebec Actual copies all. We're in the clear. Activate the package once you're in minimal safe distance."_

_"__Understood. Switch off, Librarians. We're already at the home stretch."_

_"_General! Message from the orbital satellites! Ra-radiation flaring over Decemberius!"

"A nuke!?"

"Oh my God..."

* * *

There was no way he could face her now. Not after what happened. Yzak Joule, was for the first time, frustrated over a girl. However, if she was just a normal civilian with no attachment to the uniform called ZAFT, he wouldn't even be worrying right about now. But unfortunately for him, said lady was already wearing an Elite ZAFT Pilot uniform for a few years when he fell for her.

And it wasn't even the normal falling for a girl kind of event. Initially he wasn't even interested, but somehow or rather, she slowly began to grow on him and like two spiraling snakes, their feelings somehow connected. Thus became a huge maze of emotions for Yzak. The platinum blonde sighed deeply as he scratched his head. At least for now, it wasn't a roller-coaster ride.

"Yzak, you okay there?" Yzak's top friend-slash-comrade came by with a certain worried look on his face, "Don't tell me its because of what you said a few weeks ago..."

Dearka was spot on, as revealed by Yzak's annoyed look. This time, it was the tanned blonde's turn to sigh. Yzak knew he was getting tired of all the tension in the air between the team, even Sara was beginning to lose it and she was the most optimistic of them all. It wasn't in Yzak's nature, but with a dismayed look on his face, Yzak searched for answers within his best friend, one who would seem like he had handled everything about relationships from A to Z.

"Well, you can start by talking to her," Dearka almost raised his voice in annoyance, but jumped slightly in what seemed like a shocked realisation as they heard a footstep come from behind Yzak.

"Commander? Can we have a moment?"

"..." Yzak didn't give a response, save for a nod as he was afraid to say something wrong again. Shiho quietly turned around as she led him to a more secluded location. As soon as she reached her planned location, the young brunette turned to Yzak, whom almost threw his arms up as if expecting a violent assault.

"Commander, I'm sorry about what I said a few weeks ago. It was...insensitive of me. And unbecoming of a ZAFT officer," came her what seemed to be a one paragraph apology letter. He could sense she was not really in the mood to ask for forgiveness, but he could also see that it wasn't because of him. It was always at the back of his mind, but it finally struck him after all that time that Shiho had just met her long-lost brother.

Family reunions aren't always a good thing, but what happened to Shiho and her brother, Conrad, was beyond any of his imagination. Getting threatened by her own brother at gun point, even after such a long separation, must really be eating into her sanity.

"Its alright, Shiho. I understand that you're stressed out from all the events that happened-"

"If you're talking about my brother, Yzak, yes... You're right. I couldn't take him off of my mind," Shiho's voice began wavering with shakiness as if she's bottling up her feelings. Instead of what he did on the island by making her pour her feelings to him, young Yzak decided to let her come to him when she's ready to do so.

"Listen...What I said about us-"

"Let's start over," the girl's voice sounded more demanding than before. Start over? What did that mean?

"Huh?"

"As friends, I mean. We can slowly work it out, and if it really doesn't work-!"

"_Condition Red has been issued! Repeat, Condition Red issued! Nuclear warheads activated on Decemberius 10 colony! All personnel, report to your stations!"_

Yzak was anticipating what Shiho was about to say, but as soon as alert came forcing down into their ears, both of them knew it wasn't the time to be idly chatting. Without time wasted, Yzak Joule quickly sped down the corridors towards the pilots' ready room after cursing loudly, with the rest of the crew busy heading to their stations.

The Commander of the _Voltaire _was having an uneasy feeling in his stomach, his heart thumping loudly against his rib-cage. A nuclear attack so close to home was too much especially after the losses ZAFT suffered. He quietly went through his data-pad in his locker room.

"Decemberius 9, 10 and 11 lost. Commence evacuation of Decemberius 12? That's it?"

Yzak frowned, noticing that the report didn't say anything about any enemies. He stuffed the data-pad back into the locker as he changed, countless thoughts running through his mind. But...at least the issue with Shiho was settled...

* * *

There was no turning back now. Crap has really hit the fan and everyone was getting pieces of it right in their faces. Cagalli Yula Athha took a deep breath as she limbered up before the start of the national emergency broadcast. Apparently, PLANTs wasn't the only one that was hit by an underhanded attack. Barely an hour after the nuclear activation that sent a colony to oblivion, Orb's major city centers were unwillingly welcoming a rain of artillery shells as well as a host of Mobile Suits.

"Don't worry, Cagalli," the pilot of the Infinite Justice walked up to Cagalli's side, giving a gentle pat on her shoulder before holding her hand, "Be honest with your country. Just don't tell them what they don't need to know."

The blonde Orb Representative gave a nervous look to her confidant, "I shouldn't be here you know," and she meant it. She'd rather be out there, bringing the fight to the terrorists for killing hundreds of the people she had sworn to protect.

Athrun just shook his head in response, "We have to keep this under control, Cagalli. We cannot let them know that Lacus had something to do with these attacks. Everything will go back to the fires of war."

Cagalli furrowed her eyebrow at Athrun's revelation. The truth that was, to be sure. Communications between herself and Lacus aboard the _Nocturnal Delta _had already confirmed that the simultaneous attacks all around the globe as well as PLANTs were the schemes of the Visotoniki, who work under the guise called Librarian Works after its real leader, Prayer Reverie, was at the receiving end of Conrad's smoking gun. Time for idle chatter was over though, as Cagalli quietly looked at the rolling camera in front of her, feeling the eyes of thousands burning deep into her soul.

"Fellow Orb citizens..." the fiery blonde, now meek and nervous against the eyes of the public paused, "...it is...with a heavy heart for me to inform you that our nation was under attack by a terrorist organization called the Librarian Works. Reports by the Orb Civil Defence state major structural damage was sustained all over city centers and casualties are now over a hundred with-!"

* * *

"This is turning out to be a hopeless fight on our end, Miss Clyne. We're even getting reports of Clyne Faction's top secret files leaking into the world net," Karmen spoke out in the middle of the condition that was layed out by Librarian Works, "ZAFT is initiating the faction's purge as we speak."

Lacus Clyne bit her bottom lip as she read the report in her shivering hands. She was enraged by Conrad's underhanded play. The Clyne Faction...her faction...is finally nearing its end. Sure it's riddled with corruption especially after Project VISOTONIKI, but they're still family. They were still someone she could depend on when she needed to in the past. But before she could further delve herself in her own anger, the screen of the bridge flickered on.

"Lacus! There was an attack on Orb!" Kira came floating into the bridge in a panic from the elevator in his seasoned pilot suit, his face carrying a dangerous frown.

"Karmen, please turn the volume up," Lacus Clyne politely requested of the now Commander of the _Nocturnal Delta_ after the ship picked up the signal for Orb's emergency broadcast. The atmosphere was tense and devoid of happy emotions, for they were the few who knew what was truly happening in the world.

_"...called the Librarian Works. Reports by the Orb Civil Defence state major structural damage was sustained all over city centers and casualties are now over a hundred with-!"_

_"...Bzz!.." _a sudden static took over the screen, before it displayed a logo consisting of a Ancient Greek structure with a banner spelled 'LIBRARIAN' towering over it. Cagalli's broadcast was put to an immediate halt before the nation could listen to her finish her message.

"What's going on?" Kira's voice penetrated the silence of the bridge.

"It's Conrad."

_"_..._Fellow PLANTs, Orb and EAF citizens, not forgetting the other unions. I am the leader of the organization you know as Librarian Works..."_

The occupants of the ship's worst fears were already realized the moment a nuclear warhead was set off on PLANTs. Now, Lacus knows just as much as the next person what the Librarian Works, or rather, Conrad wants from them. The _Freedom _and Kira himself. They listened on to Librarian Works going on about how the young leadership in both PLANTs and Orb was ineffective and immature, with the deaths of its people as proof of the incompetency. After much sermonizing, the masked voice finally got to the meat of the meal.

_"...__This is our ultimatum to all three nations. Lacus Clyne, along with Kira Yamato and his Strike Freedom are alive out there somewhere, despite what lies the Orb __Representative has been feeding you. Deliver them to us, or these attacks WILL intensify until nothing is left. You have 72 hours."_

The screen went blank, before resuming the broadcast over at Orb Union, showing an empty podium where Cagalli was no longer present. Lacus was almost speechless as she heard the last few sentences. The beginning of the end was already nearing for the former leaders of two great nations. A storm was coming, and not even Karmen and her superior augmented soldiers of Voskhod 3 within the _Nocturnal Delta _are enough to stop it from swallowing Lacus Clyne and her companions.

"I can't turn in Lacus to them. But...we can't do anything for now against them. Karmen, set a course for the Decemberius colony. ZAFT is starting a civilian evacuation there," Kira quietly commanded as he looked down on a navigational hologram, his eyes fixed on the fleet that was present there. If by any luck that Yzak Joule and his crew are untouched by the Visotoniki, they might have a small slim chance to turn things around.

"C-Commander, that's suicidal. The Librarians control ZAFT right now. If we make a wrong-!" Lacus immediately cut the noirette Commander's over-caution, giving a solemn look past her pink hair.

"We can't leave the civilians to fend for themselves, Karmen," the princess claimed with a soothing voice, "If anything were to go wrong, we have the _Hierarch _and the _Freedom_ to protect us. Just like Rei, Voskhod 3 will not hide itself away while others suffer."

Lacus watched, feeling regretful for bringing up the name of the late soldier into the conversation. Karmen Valkyrie bowed her head in defeat as she squeezed the dog-tags in her hand tightly, before giving her orders, "Alright, Miss Clyne. Voskhod 3, this is Commander Valkyrie. We are Code-253 into enemy territory. All hands to defensive stations."

* * *

_**...70 hours till Ultimatum Deadline...**_

"This is Rescue Craft AH-33 to ZAFT Control, we're currently loading the last batch of civilians from Decemberius 12, Area 3. Please dispatch escort to our location, over," Shiho Hahnenfuss released a tensioned sigh adjusted her red uniform, her co-pilot busy plotting their exit route at her side.

"_Roger that, AH-33. We'll dispatch a squad to you. Maintain—Bzz!" _came the reply before it went into static.

"ZAFT Control? ZAFT Control, do you read? What happened, Edward?" the young brunette looked at her co-pilot who was fidgety and clueless, before a ZAFT soldier entered the cockpit cabin.

"Alright, Lieutenant! We got the last of them, ready when you are!"

Shiho Hahnenfuss nodded and thanked him with a small smile on her face, tapping buttons on the shuttle controls as the engines of the transport fired up.

"Lieutenant Shiho...the escorts aren't here yet-!" Edward was cut off when a new voice came into the channel, not to mention the radar on the shuttle going off at an alarming rate as red hostile dots filled the majority of the navigational panel. Enemies were closing in on them from all sides.

"_Shuttle AH-33. Power down your engines, Shiho," _a deep male voice came into Shiho's earpiece, causing her to frown with mixed feelings, _"Or I will use force."_

Usually Shiho wouldn't have bowed against a threat from the enemy but as the voice of her brother called out to her, she couldn't resist. There was so many things to ask, and to say. After the encounter on Lunar Base ruins with her brother, all she could think about was what she could've said to him. Now that she has the chance to see him again, the powers of the shuttle's engines gradually powered down in the middle of the green field.

"Edward...take the controls and return to the _Voltaire," _she ordered her subordinate as she took off her earpiece, "I have something I need to do."

"Y-Yes, Ma'am..."

The wind was cooling while the rays of the sun were just the right temperature to put Shiho at ease. But only barely as she slowly exited the idle shuttle. She loved how the scenery looked within the colony, it had been a long, long time since she stepped foot in her home. And just like old times, there he was... Conrad. Standing quietly by a tree as the canopy of the plant sheltered his pale skin from the light of the sun.

Shiho was hesitant as she walked down the meadow, the lush green grass crunching beneath her boots as she tucked her hair back against the breeze. As she looked up, her eyes locked onto his. Those soft green eyes and that pale adorable face. Flashes of her childhood memories played within Shiho's head as her brother took a step closer to her. It was the same case when Reiatsuma approached her in the sewer's back on Earth, but this time, she didn't dare to pull a gun at the person before her.

"Conrad..." she muttered out under her breath, as if afraid of saying his name outloud. She was already in a nightmare knowing her brother was subjected to physical augmentation but was scared if she'd be plunged into a more horrid situation if she did or say something that she would regret. His brown hair swayed gently in the cool wind as he tilted his head at her.

"Shiho? You okay? You look like you've seen a ghost," her brother's voice penetrated deep into her soul as she looked at him with hesitant eyes. He stood there with a warm smile on his pale face, not even fazed by the things he had done the past few years. Nor the incident where he threatened his sister by sending a white-hot bullet past her hair.

"..."

"So...do I get a hug like the last time I came home?" Shiho's heart pounded hard as she heard his question. It's been so long. She always held great admiration and love for her brother. But he was not as he was long ago. The feeling of her wanting to be in his brotherly warmth is undeniable, but she held herself back as she stepped closer to her long-lost family, looking straight into his eyes as if searching.

"What happened? I...I've been looking for you for so long... Ever since-!"

Her brother didn't even wait for her to finish, but instead Conrad moved himself and wrapped his strong arms around her frail figure. Shiho resisted at first as she felt a warm trail of tears making its way down her face. But after a few seconds, she immediately caved in, burying her face into Conrad's chest. This feeling wasn't the same with Yzak. She knew it was taboo and wrong to feel that way towards a family member...but it felt much more better than when Yzak Joule held her close.

It held so much warmth, radiating through her body. A nostalgic feeling that she had longed for such a long time as he pressed himself against her, his tactical battle gear poking Shiho's body at different points.

"It's okay, Shiho. I'm here," Conrad softly assured her as he stroked her head gently.

"Why-..."

"You know I would never hurt you, dear sister," Shiho could feel his warm breath against her face as he lifted it towards his with a tender touch, "I'm sorry I didn't tell you anything-!"

Shiho did want to believe that her brother was the same one before he disappeared prior to the war. But everything was just too much for her. She needed to take it in slowly, and there was no time. So instead, she took the harder, but quicker way out by remaining strong and moving on. Her brother was dead...or so that was what she told herself as she tore away from Conrad.

"Y-...you're not my brother. Conrad...died a long time ago."

"I understand how you feel, Shiho-!" Conrad wanted to explain himself, his voice desperate. That voice...Shiho thought to herself as she finally lost it. She didn't care anymore if this was her brother or not. He looks...and sounds the same. And that was more than what Shiho could ever wish for from God, or whatever power that was out there.

"Do you? After that day...you didn't even write...or returned my calls," Shiho got pissed rather than happy, "Do you really know how that feels when they told me you died out there?"

"Shiho, I-!"

"You were more busy with the war rather than taking care of me," her voice was shaky as she wiped the tear streaks off her face, putting up a strong front as if it was a mask, "You being in ZAFT...didn't make me happy at all. I was lonely."

"I'm not ZAFT anymore, Shiho...and...I regret what I did to you. I love you...very much..."

At this statement, Shiho felt the inside of her stomach take a tumble and her chest tightening. All her thoughts were on her brother while Yzak took a backseat. Somehow she felt happy at his suggestion to follow him. It was...tempting. The reason she enlisted into ZAFT was to find her brother after all. And now that he was here...there was not much more ZAFT could offer her. Shiho quietly bowed her head.

"..."

"Come with me, Shiho."

"I..."

Before she could answer, a standard _ZAKU_ crash landed down the meadows of the Decemberius colony causing a tremor that knocked Shiho against her brother as she hung onto his shoulder. As the _ZAKU _laid lifelessly, a figure jumped out and landed near Shiho and Conrad. The said person pointed a handgun to Conrad's head, her face distorted with anger and hatred. Shiho was confused, even her brother's expression changed. It was like a duel between two different beings now.

"Conrad! You viper!"

"Huh..." Conrad quickly moved to shield Shiho from the end of the gun barrel, "Paying me a little visit, Karmen?"

"You killed Rei... How could you! To your own-!" Karmen was cut short as two gunshots tore into the atmosphere, a split second before the same number of bullets punctured deep into her chest and leg sending her on her back, Conrad's hand gripping a smoking gun. Shiho watched in amazement, as she didn't even catch when he drew the weapon. Karmen Valkyrie grunted as she tried hard to breath, clutching the painful wound on her chest with her hand while thick red blood oozed profusely through the slips of her fingers.

"If I remembered correctly, it was Rei who triggered the nuke himself on the Moon," Conrad's low voice stated as the gun slipped back into its holster around his chest, "He thought he stopped me there. But that place was a dummy target just like I planned. As a former member of Visotoniki, I expected more from him. Even more so when he's the Commander of sub-unit Voskhod 3."

"C-Conrad!" Karmen started dragging herself painfully towards the two over the tall sharp blades of the grass, but Conrad ignored her and turned to his sister, "I'm sorry about that Shiho. Please...come with me."

"Brother..."

"Y-You bastard," Karmen coughed painfully as her blood began dribbling down her pale lips, "H-he died saving all those people-!"

Conrad didn't let her finish, planting his heavy boots on Karmen's head as he rubbed her face down against the dirt. Equipping his handgun, Conrad this time aimed at her head. Shiho watched horrendously as she grabbed hold of her brother's arm out of panic. Shiho was a soldier, but under it all she was still human. She didn't know what happened to turn her brother into such a cold person in battle, but she was going to stop it from further occurring.

"Conrad, no! She's...fatally wounded as it is. Lets...just leave this place," Shiho sounded desperate as she looked at her brother, who returned her a relieved look and a gentle smile. Not only did Shiho felt bad about leaving ZAFT and PLANTs forever without telling Yzak a thing, but she also felt heartbroken. She kept telling herself that a significant other is always available, but a brother lost...is forever gone. So she made her decision.

"This is Charlie One. I need a lift," Conrad spoke into his radio as they walked towards a house in the distance, leaving the gravely wounded Karmen behind as she choked on her own blood and fight for her life before hearing a pained outcry from the dying soldier.

* * *

The platinum blonde was pissed off. He grabbed the collar of Shiho's co-pilot roughly while giving him a deathly glare. As expected, Edward just caved in to the pressure and started sweating profusely, swearing to tell anything and everything he knew even though he was just doing his job as told. As soon as Yzak heard that Shiho was left behind in the deserted Decemberius colony, Yzak flipped in rage.

"So let me get this straight, you left your officer behind just so you could save yourself huh?" the young Commander questioned the newbie with a harsh tone in front of the whole crew within the _Voltaire's _busy hangar.

"N-no! I would never-! She was the one who gave me the order to get the civilians to safety," Edward confessed as he looked fearfully at his Commander. Yzak was doubtful. What did Shiho mean by that if Edward was telling the truth? What could be more important than preventing the loss of lives?

"Damn it. We can't let this go," Yzak said as he released Edward, who scuttled off in fear.

"I already sent a message to the communications unit to look out for her just in case," Dearka came around in his pilot suit, his face stricken with worry and concern not only for the missing Shiho, but also at Yzak who was more jumpy than usual. Yzak quietly thought to himself as he thanked his best friend. Somehow...something didn't sit right with how Shiho disappeared so willingly. He wondered to himself if Conrad was involved, cause if he was, that would explain Shiho's disappearance...as well as the nuclear attack.

"Oh and one more thing, Yzak. There's an encrypted hail from the _Nocturnal Delta!" _

_"_They're here? Are they crazy!?"

* * *

_**...65 hours till Ultimatum Deadline...**_

"It's as bad as you see, Yzak. We barely have enough space to accommodate these people," Lacus Clyne worriedly said as Yzak and herself, along with Dearka and Kira looked out the window of the corridor and into the hangar of the _Nocturnal Delta. _A large group of civilians were corralled in the hangar, all barely provided with supplies to live off on.

"These were the people we rescued from the Lunar Base. Apparently, they were a part of a human trafficking ring under one of the Librarian's trade market," Kira said with a heavy voice. Even he couldn't believe things got this out of hand. At first when he entered the world of the battlefield, all he was worried about was his opponent. Now it was more than that.

Because the supplies were given out to the refugees of the smuggling ring, Kira and Lacus had yet to eat anything for the past few days, while the super-soldiers of Voskhod 3 didn't even touch anything edible ever since the rescue a few weeks ago. They were desperate and in need of rations as soon as they possibly can. Even the reserve fuel for the _Nocturnal Delta _was fast depleting.

"I don't really worry about ourselves and the _Nocturnal Delta,_ Yzak. But please, I need you to find a place for these people," the songstress said weakly, her voice slightly parched as her shaky cerulean eyes begged for aid from the silver-haired Commander, who placed a hand over his chin as he thought things over. Even at a state where she could be killed at any time, Kira finds it extremely admirable she is putting others before herself.

"Hmm...I can get them into the refugee camps in PLANTs."

"You mean like the one we were at last time, Yzak? It could work," Dearka reminded Yzak of the time they had to serve soup to the refugees.

Yzak nodded as he turned back to the ground, a thought tugging at him, "Are these the same ones from the base that got wiped off the face of the Moon by a nuke?"

Feeling hesitant to reply, Kira gave Yzak a weak nod while Lacus just looked away with a dismayed expression. Kira didn't feel comfortable talking about it, especially when Lacus is still bothered by the loss. But they had no point in hiding the truth either. Dearka picked up on the heavy atmosphere, and quietly questioned what had happened but was interrupted.

"Miss Clyne, Commander Valkyrie is back...and gravely wounded, Ma'am," came a soldier before Dearka and Yzak could get an answer, trailing behind him a heavily bandaged Karmen on a wheelchair with her face in deep hatred, her shaky eyes hidden behind her bangs.

"Karmen...what happened?"

Voskhod 3's Commander looked away as she tried hiding the signs of anger on her face, "Conrad...he...got away, and abducted a girl named Shiho. She was with Rei on Earth if I remember her correctly."

"What!?" Yzak cried out as he learned the truth. Dearka held Yzak back, who was raising his voice unconsciously.

"He knows about Yzak too, Lacus. Damn it!" Kira cursed as his fist hit the reinforced glass of the window. Knowing Conrad, he'll probably use Shiho as a bargaining chip to haul in Yzak's support forcefully, and cutting Lacus' chances of getting back at him since Yzak is one of the few who'd willingly work alongside Lacus. Yzak was confused. What bargaining chip?

The look on his face says it all. He was unaware of Librarian Work's Ultimatum.

"Conrad wants me and Lacus along with the _Freedom. _In exchange, they won't continue hostilities."

Yzak was pissed off. He already knows what a true answer would be. For the sake of the lives at stake, Kira and Lacus MUST turn themselves in. This wasn't about Shiho alone any longer. This was bigger than the war itself.

"I cannot support you hiding like this, Lacus," Yzak said outloud as he turned away, "I will get these civilians inside...but...you will prevent more chaos if you make the decision I'm asking you to make right now."

"Yzak...you can't be-!"

"Innocent lives are at stake, damnit! Turn yourselves in, or I will drag you two there myself!"

It was like a sinking ship for both Lacus and Kira. Every where they go, all the hatches were closing and they can't seem to find a way out as the water got higher and higher. One day, both of them just might end up drowning.

"Wait...we still have time..." Karmen softly said amidst the argument as she stood up with her injured leg.

* * *

_**...50 hours till Ultimatum Deadline...**_

Heavy rain plagued down on the abandoned bunker by the cliffs as strong winds blew over Orb Union's beach-side. The weather fitted Cagalli's feelings perfectly. Heavy, dark and unforgiving. After the international broadcast by the Librarian Works and its ultimatum, Cagalli was being hunted down like a prized fox by the military as soon as the ministry of the Orb Union found her unsuitable for leadership. She was neck-deep in trouble.

"I can't take it anymore, Athrun," the blonde confessed as she buried her head into her knees, sitting restlessly on the cold floor with her back against the wall. There was nothing else she could do. She could feel the same feeling of hopelessness take her again just like the time after her father died...only, this was worse. She had nowhere to turn to, with no quarter given by the soldiers and police that were hunting her down.

Athrun quietly sat beside her as he wrapped his arms around her, pulling her close to himself, "Be strong, Cagalli. I'm sure Lacus and Kira are doing something about it. We have to get to the _Archangel _so we can meet up with them. Until then, hang on."

The female blonde was surprised at how convincing Athrun's words were. But to her, they were just words. They were both in a desperate situation and words alone cannot help them make things better, as fate was against them. Even the _Archangel _was away on a mission in space when Orb was attacked, and it would take a while before they reach Orb.

"You know...I'm glad you're with me...Athrun," Cagalli confessed as she laid her head on his shoulder, "I don't know what I'd do without you."

"Its the same for me too," the blue haired Coordinator nudged her, holding her hands tightly as the cold of the bunker slowly gnawed into their bones, "Remember back during the Second War? I was so stupid to believe the Chairman's lies. Only you were there to save me, Cagalli."

"Pssh...you were like lovestruck with that guy or something," she joked as she snuggled close to him, "I just didn't want you to be a homosexual and fall in love with him. I'd be devastated if I lost to someone like that."

Athrun chuckled heartily from Cagalli's joke, "Huh...coming from someone who was going to marry someone like-," the war hero was cut short as Cagalli raised her face in a frown. Athrun just gave a nervous smile as he looked away.

"No please! Finish what you were about to say!" she demanded as she squeezed his arms tightly amidst the snuggle, daring him to do so.

"W-well! I forgot who he was actually! You know what, I actually forgot it ever happened!"

Cagalli laughed with full force as she looked at Athrun's desperate face, his cheeks turning red as he laughed along with his beloved. There was no mistake that having Athrun by her side was the best thing that ever happened to her. Sure, initially she wanted him to be away so she could focus her work. But she quickly found that her work and Athrun had to go hand-in-hand or she'll never work at all.

Such feelings was what made her sufferings seem so worth it, even now. But before she could finish her thoughts as she snuggled up to him, a lonesome can grenade came rolling into the corner of the room.

They were discovered...

* * *

**AN: **Thanks again for reading this fanfic! Also, I apologize if this chapter is abit confusing(?), especially at the part where the PLANTs got nuked. Just to clear it up, here's the summary.

**- PLANTs Decemberius Colony 10 got nuked while Decemberius 9 and 11 got destroyed in the process due to debris collision  
- Yzak and his shipmates begin evacuation operation on Decemberius 12  
- Shiho follows her brother back to Visotoniki  
- Librarian Works sets Ultimatum to turn in Lacus, Kira and Freedom to the Visotoniki  
- Yzak declines to help Lacus and Kira hide from Librarian Works  
- Cagalli and Athrun hunted down by Orb Military & Police**

**Also!  
- Librarian Works IS NOT Visotoniki. LW is the collective group of Radicalist factions brought into one  
by forceful methods used by Visotoniki.  
- Therefore, Visotoniki is the tyrant among the tyrants.**

Anyways! Thanks to **Voltage Axe**(Voltage Axe is an angel among man LOL so go read his fics!) and **Rouge-Impulstice1**(and to you Rouge-Impulstice1, I dedicate the last scene of this chapter to you since you kinda like AsuCaga? LOL) for providing me the neverending support! Also thanks to **alphariuslau, amwick, h0neyxx **and **Peach Diva **for favouriting/following my story! Final gratitude goes to the rest who took their time to visit and read! Any suggestions on how to improve the fic, just give me a PM! Thanks!


	10. Calm Before the Storm

**_Trials And Lies_**

**_Chapter 10_**

_AN: This is the first Gundam Seed Fanfic by me and I deliberately wrote a Yzak & Shiho fanfic cause it is not so active... I also love this couple... And I don't own Gundam SEED or any of its counterparts... Too bad for me..._

**_As per my previous attempt at this story, I will use the same format..._**  
_Italics _represents a radio transmission from outside of the character's immediate location, as well as names of ships/mobile suits/vehicles.  
**Bold** represents the time jumps or current location (but I plan to reduce the focus on this, I'm sure it disrupts reading flow, doggamnit!)...

* * *

_**50 hours from Ultimatum deadline...**_

The floor started shaking violently. But not only that, even the room was. It was like he was in a Christmas gift-box and a child was shaking it violently to see what was inside. Kira quickly swung his legs to the side of the bed and began rushing for the bridge of the _Nocturnal Delta. _Were they under attack? Did Visotoniki already find them?

Thoughts of a battle and the strings of what he would have to do began crossing his mind. It had been quite a while since he used the _Freedom _to full effect. Not that he was looking forward to it, but...he would never let any more harm come to Lacus.

"What's going on?!" he bursts into the busy bridge where the view port was already closed shut behind reinforced layers of thick metal. Karmen turned to look at the Coordinator, while Lacus sat quietly in the Captain's seat. They were calm.

"Commander Yamato. I suggest you suit up and prepare the _Freedom. _We're entering the Earth's atmosphere in three," came the reply from the still-injured soldier.

Kira's eyes showed surprise as he took in a sharp breath, "Are you crazy? This is a Girty-Lue! It's not capable of atmospheric flig-!"

"We're abandoning the _Nocturnal, _Commander! Get suited up! Now!" Karmen wasn't taking any questions no doubts at this point as she turned to the quiet songstress, "Miss Lacus? It's time..."

With a nod of her head, Kira watched quietly as Lacus floated up to him. Even though it was, to him, an already losing fight, Kira still saw Lacus' determination in her eyes. There was something that said she wasn't going to back down. Did she trust the Voskhod 3 that much? Or did they have something up their sleeves?

"...Kira? I'll be with you in the _Freedom,"_ the soothing voice came to him as she tugged at his wrist gently with a smile.

Kira Yamato couldn't help but just nod with the same smile in return. Radio chatter began filling the bridge of the dying ship as the whole of Voskhod 3 began their preparations for evacuation. It was a relief that the civilians were already transported back to PLANTs...even though it took a squad of armed super-soldiers just to convince Yzak it wasn't a good idea to bring Lacus and Kira into custody.

"Attention all crew and combat personnel, this is Commander Valkyrie. Commence evacuation procedures," her deep voice sounded throughout the whole ship as Kira and Lacus made way through the corridors towards the Hangar, "This will be the final hour of the _Nocturnal Delta,_ our home. Give her our prayers before she leaves us."

* * *

Cagalli laughed with full force as she looked at Athrun's desperate face, his cheeks turning red as he laughed along with his beloved. There was no mistake that having Athrun by her side was the best thing that ever happened to her. Sure, initially she wanted him to be away so she could focus her work. But she quickly found that her work and Athrun had to go hand-in-hand or she'll never work at all.

Such feelings was what made her sufferings seem so worth it, even now. But before she could finish her thoughts as she snuggled up to him, a lonesome can grenade came rolling into the corner of the room.

They were discovered...

In a split second, Athrun covered both of them in the blanket he had at his side before an ear-splitting thunder and a bright flash engulfed the area. Athrun quickly pulled the Orb Representative to her feet hurriedly, but they were already surrounded by heavily armed SWAT officers while their ears still rung from the loud bang. There was nowhere to run now. Cagalli lowered her eyes as she looked to the floor before being roughly shoved to the ground and cuffed.

"TOC this is Entry Team, suspects are secure and ready for transport."

Athrun was calm and quiet as he usually was, and so was Cagalli. The communications with the _Archangel _had better work. Or they'll be behind bars for long, long time. Or at the very least, exiled. With a shove, the SWAT officers quickly brought Cagalli and Athrun to the back of an armored truck. The blonde watched as the area was cordoned off by the police from the hungry public media. Everyone in Orb must have known where they both were.

"Cagalli? You okay?" Athrun worriedly asked as the doors of the armored vehicle was about to be opened, seconds before the loud sound of a warship's engines began taking over the area, a large shadow looming over the busy beach. Even the ground shook as it greeted the appearance of a falling warship as it made a large long trail of smoke.

"What the hell is that!?" one of the policemen cried out as they hid behind their vehicles as the warship descended further and further towards the ground. They were too focused on the ship, that they didn't notice a squad of pods dropping from it, crashing violently down onto the ground before blasting open with a large amount of white smoke. Everyone got disoriented.

Athrun, seeing this chance, quickly jumped over his cuffed hands so he could pull at Cagalli to come along. Was this how they were going to be rescued? If it wasn't it must be sheer dumb luck.

* * *

"_This is the Freedom. All transport shuttles are safely away towards Rendezvous Point Charlie."_

_"_Good work, Commander. My squad will take care of the Orb Representative and Admiral Athrun. Expect us in twenty minutes."

"_Alright, Karmen. Good luck..."_

Her chest tightened as memories of the past began filling into her head. Ironic how something on your mind can affect the feelings in your chest, considering they are two different entities most of the time. Karmen bit her teeth behind the visor of her helmet as her pod dropped off the burning ship, precariously going with gravity as it plummeted into the ground below and jerking the pod viciously before its hatch blasted open with a deadly force.

Karmen quickly grabbed onto her rifle attached to the side of the pod and rushed out, her breathing and heartbeat taking away all other sounds as her boots struck the ground hard. Smoke enshrouded the area and only her instincts and those of her comrades were in play. They marched with their rifles pointed ahead, ill-will and white-hot waiting to be dispensed at a simple pull of a trigger.

"_Commander, typical SWAT formation, heavily armed and with armored vehicle." _

"They must know we're coming. Spread out, staggered formation. Activate EMP," Karmen commanded as she flicked her rifle's firing mode to semi-auto instead of fully. They were in an area with civilians. A stray bullet cannot be present, at least by Voskhod 3's standard. Not to mention them having no idea where Cagalli and Athrun are amidst the thick smoke. On the adjacent side, another of Karmen's commando was setting up an electronic jamming device for the area.

"Infrared's not working! Spread out and search for the fugitives! We can't let them escape!" an unfamiliar voice commanded over the silent surroundings. Karmen quickly ordered a halt through her radio. And waited.

"Any movements...shoot it," Karmen said into her intercom as she looked around. Considering Athrun's combat experience, he'll definitely fall in line with Karmen's tactics and stop moving too, lying down if at all preferable.

And before she knew it, sounds of silenced rifles popped against the silence followed by pained screams of the enemy and them falling over against the ground. The enemy was in fear...she could feel it in the air.

"Turn off the EMP, switch to thermal," and with that, Karmen's whole squad began closing in on the enemy. As expected the enemy was rational and mature. Unlike amateurs, they did not open fire indiscriminately. But her squad had already gained the upper hand. It was going just as she had planned, but Karmen did not smile. In a battlefield...nothing goes as planned...if it was, can only mean it was a trap.

The smoke was starting to clear, and Karmen was getting edgy as she sweeped the area in front of her. No sign of Cagalli and Athrun. She cursed from inside her helmet as the rays of the sun slowly penetrated the thinning smoke.

"We have a minute max. Close up, hit and run tactics... Police snipers are scanning the area," and as soon as the order was given, footsteps were hurried and there was no longer any restriction on firing. It was as if time was slowed, but her squad moved efficiently fast as their nano-machines communicated with each other, complemented by the sensory enhancements of the chemicals that were forced in them.

They were like a sweeping plague, covering almost the whole area in a wide wingspan in a loose delta formation with no bullets wasted. Every hot lead that left the barrel of one of the super-soldiers' weapons were made for the enemies' vital points as if the guns itself were fate bringing down death on the victims. The enemy didn't even hear a magazine being loaded the whole time.

And not even a minute passed, the area was picked clean as Karmen signaled for them to load up into the armored truck that the SWAT team were using, improvising as they went on. Karmen slid up her visor and took out a harmonica from her pocket, playing two notes that stretched for a few seconds before crying out in a pissed off voice.

"Better get on or we'll leaving without you!" as soon as her commanding voice squeezed past her lips, two figures started rushing towards them. As expected it was Athrun and Cagalli. But the situation was nowhere near resolved. The smoke was already clearing...and from within the armored vehicle the noirette Commander was standing next to, the police radio sounded off among the chatter.

"_This is High-Ground Sierra, we have High-Value Target Charlie in our scope...on the run with an accomplice."_

_"High-Ground Sierra, accomplice is a Threat-Level Delta target... Open fire."_

_"But Sir! It's Admiral Zala! He's unarmed-!"_

_"Execute the order-"_

Karmen didn't wait for the radio message to finish as she turned quickly on her heels and hurriedly rush to both their side while her squad revved the engine of the vehicle. She could've done something sooner. But for a two decade old super-soldier with the most advanced inventions made by men running deep in her veins, even Karmen could not stop a speeding bullet when it has already left the barrel of a gun travelling three times the speed of sound.

"Get down!"

Red. It was all red by the time her voice reached the two...all bloody when a standard sniper bullet tore through Athrun's throat as he fell and slid painfully across the floor, dragging along whatever blood and grime that was on the floor with him. Karmen didn't stop. A life was already slipping past her fingers, she won't let the other be pulled in too.

Even from that distance, Karmen could hear Athrun's blood gurgling into his lungs as it drowned him, his eyes showing a sign of the ultimate fear as Karmen gritted her teeth. This was too much for the Orb Representative. Karmen has to pull her out immediately or things will just get more and more dreadful. The young soldier picked up her pace against the wind.

"A-Athrun..." Cagalli's shaky voice caused Karmen to shiver as she watched the blonde sit up while rushing to her. Without letting her have a minute of silence and grief, Karmen roughly pulled Cagalli by the back of her shirt and pulled her away, refusing to even look at the Orb Admiral that was choking on his own blood as he struggled for dear life. So much blood even at the corner of her eyes...too much...

"Athrun!"

* * *

A sigh escaped her lips as Shiho tried getting used to the new controls of the Mobile Suit she was given on orders by her brother. It wasn't exactly a new, top-of-the-line machine that she was expecting. But it served the purpose of her brother's group, the Visotoniki, the best. Stealthy and excellent maneuverability.

"Shiho? You okay in there?" her brother knocked at the entrance of the Mobile Suit's cockpit, his face peeking from the edges of the hatch.

"Ahh, brother. I'm alright. Just feeling...weird that's all," she replied as she climbed out of the cockpit, her ZAFT uniform changed to a pair of uniform just like her brother wore, black and...well just black actually. The fabric was cooling but at the same time provided protection from certain elements. What was the material anyway...

Shiho was immediately interrupted from her train of thought as Conrad spoke out, "I know how you feel...it's called homesick."

"Our home was taken away the moment I left for ZAFT-"

"I meant homesick from ZAFT... Besides...you've been all up at PLANTs the whole time. Trust me," he continued as they made their way towards an open airfield with a blue cloudless sky looming overhead, "Earth is quite a homely place when you get used to it."

Shiho didn't respond. But she didn't mean not to either. Somehow every time she came to Earth, the same vast skies scared her as if it could pull her into its vastness. Space was different, she'd already seen enough of it. The airfield was busy for once, the Visotoniki coordinating movements between a large number of weapons and supplies brought in by the former terrorist cells.

Librarian Works was under Conrad's mailed fist, them dancing in the palm of his hand the whole time. And it wasn't easy either. But there was thing she regretted...and it was the fact that he killed millions in the nuke attacks. Whatever the reason, the means that he took were unjustifiable and unforgivable. Shiho wanted to ask, but every time she turned to ask her brother about it, he always showed that exhausted face.

Something heavy was on his shoulders...and only a few answers fitted the situation. Her brother really didn't change at all...he was still the caring and concerned brother she had longed for the past few years. Shiho decided this time, she's going to ask what he was planning behind all this violence and facade that he built.

"...Conrad-"

"...Hold that thought, Shiho," he asked before turning to a fellow soldier with a datapad, "What is it?"

Shiho quietly watched as she fiddled with her fingers, a sign that she was anxious or nervous about something. And of course, being the older brother, Conrad immediately noticed...but was pulled to another issue far heavier.

"Athrun Zala killed in a crossfire? What a joke...they were afraid of the Justice, I'm guessing," he quickly returned the datapad with a nod to the soldier, before turning back to his beloved sister who held an exasperated look, "What's up, Shiho?"

"Why, Conrad? Did all these people die just for something you're planning to do?" Shiho hissed unconsciously at her brother. If she were level-headed she would never dare, but this was taking it too far. The _Rousseau, _the millions dead at PLANTs and hundreds that went down with the Gondwana. Was it a really justifiable war? Was it even a war!? It was plain and easy genocide.

"I was expecting you to ask that the first day you came here, sis," he easily said as he sat on the bumper of a jeep nearby within the busy airfield, "You won't understand it now...but you will when the time comes. For the moment, just trust me...okay?"

Conrad gave her a smile...in return, Shiho blushed at the gesture. She didn't even protest as she nodded. Instead of thinking of other possibilities to get the answers out of him, all she thought was that she would give him another chance...and another...and another. As long as she can take it. Shiho never really felt loyal to ZAFT or any nations anyway. So, besides all the death and destruction, it didn't really bother her.

Though there is one thing that bothered her...if she had to fight head to head with Yzak and his squad. They weren't really especially special, except for Yzak...but they were still people she had close relations with as comrades. Dearka...the Captain of the _Voltaire..._all were her friends she treasured, but could never replace Conrad.

"Alright...but I don't know. It just doesn't sit right with me..."

"I can understand... But don't worry, I won't ever ask you to go to the frontlines," Conrad walked over and pat her cheeks lightly, "There's no way I'd let you leave my side again. Is that better?"

"Um... Y-yeah... Definitely."

* * *

_**45 hours till Ultimatum deadline...**_

Lacus couldn't move. She felt that if even a muscle was activated, the whole world would have gone to hell...if hasn't already. Nothing could be done or said when it passes, but losing the lives that were cherished so dearly was just too much. Lacus knew this best as she remembered the broken look on Cagalli's face the moment she stepped out of the shuttle Voskhod 3 brought her in.

The bridge of the Archangel was silent as Lacus Clyne stared off into empty space.

"No matter how way we look at it, Lacus... Every door is closed against us. Even ZAFT is not opening its arms," the Desert Tiger, Andrew Waltfeld, said as he shifted in his place by the side of the entrance. Lacus didn't say anything in return, for she had already lost count to how many people had said that to her. She wanted to speak up, but no words came to mind except hopelessness. It felt...scary. And annoying. Rather than losing in an instant, Lacus was slowly but surely being pushed into total annihilation.

"I don't know..."

"Miss Lacus? We still have one last doorway," a tall lean soldier in a bloody jet black outfit slipped into the bridge, quickly turning around the morbid atmosphere as fast as heads were turned, "Commander Hayabusa has paved a way for us."

"What are you talking about, Karmen?" finally Lacus found her voice, her heart suddenly over-brimmed with hope. If Voskhod 3 says there is hope, than it was truly the best chance that they could have of ever hoping to turn the situation around. Karmen walked quietly to the command console of the bridge and inserted a small disk, showing the Moon and certain kep points on Earth as it booted up, all along the well-built commando just smiling away. Even to Lacus...that was creepy.

"Remember the nuke that was set off on the Moon after the rescue by Hierarch and the Commander?" Lacus nodded at the question as Karmen's pale graceful finger trailed a few lines that ran from the Moon to Earth. "It actually destroyed a major hub that kept Librarian Works in check. A network that kept the terrorist cells involved to keep working for Visotoniki."

"So you're saying these locations are where some of Librarian Works terrorist cells are?"

"Correct."

"What did you mean by, keep in check?" Lacus was starting to get more and more curious.

"I'm not sure about that...but a few of my scouts reported that as soon as the Moon base was blown to hell, the terrorist factions under its network," Karmen turned to Lacus and with determined eyes, continued, "Were all roaming free and easy."

Lacus was confused, and so was the crew. Even Kira at the far side of the bridge was clueless as to what Karmen was talking about. Even with all the questioning looks, no one dared to ask any questions. They were afraid of something...of getting an answer they didn't want to hear. But the pink-haired Chairwoman shook her head and stepped forward. This was no time to be hesitant.

"What does this have to do with our situation, Karmen?"

"Easy...We take them to our side..."

"What?" Lacus' eyes went wide as she heard the words sip through Karmen's lips.

"Did I hear you wrong, Karmen? We're gonna have to bring them to our side?" Kira asked from the other side of the bridge, his face holding a concerned look. And Lacus understood perfectly. It was one thing to fight beside conscripted soldiers like he did during the First Bloody Valentine War, but to fight at the side of a merciless terrorist driven by extreme ideology was something else.

At the question, Karmen calmly shook her head with the sadistic smile still on her face, "That's exactly what we're going to do. However...we have very limited time. As we speak, we've already annexed a handful of them to our side. My subordinates are still working."

Lacus could see Kira was starting to get fidgety. And was correct to feel that way. Something was still left unanswered.

"What about the nuclear threat?" Kira asked as he stepped closer to Karmen.

"Conrad, just as ruthless as he is, is a conscientious man. He would never ask another to bear the guilt of pressing the switch for the Nukes. For this reason alone, we'll have to turn you and Miss Lacus, along with the _Freedom _to Conrad."

"...It's a heavy gamble, Karmen."

"It's our only chance, Commander Yamato. When we draw him out...we strike."

* * *

"Cagalli?" Kira asked with a soft voice with a gentle knock, trying hard not to sound offensive. The door hissed open as it revealed a dark bedroom, with a lone figure sitting at the darkest corner of the room with a blanket around her. Kira has never seen his twin sister like this. Sure they've been separated before, but he's never seen her this dreadful before. And who could blame her.

"..."

"Cagalli...are you alright?" he couldn't resist asking as he walked up to her side.

"Do I...look alright to you?" the blonde hissed as she turned an extremely hateful gaze towards her twin brother, her brown eyes holding a fire that was so strong it was eating into herself. Kira clenched his fists. Damn all this death and destruction. He somehow wished he was living in a different time, where peace was so widespread. Where he could at this age be roaming the endless internet and study, rather than be behind the controls of a killing machine.

Kira quietly slunk down beside his sister and leaned against her, to which she flinched and moved away. Kira watched her with his eyes wide. He was thinking of comforting her for her loss. He knew best how it was to lose someone he loved. But what was different this time was that Athrun has no hope of returning alive. There was no Voskhod 3 this time to provide him the save that was given to Lacus when she was shot.

"Leave me alone, Kira!" Cagalli's forehead would start to wrinkle if she frowned any harder.

"What are you-!"

"It's not fair...Athrun died...Athrun died because we decided to play along with you guys!" Cagalli raised her voice as she hugged herself, digging her fingernails into her shoulder as if trying to hide her emotional pain behind her physical ones. Kira was surprised. It was true...Athrun and Cagalli had to go through what they did because they took part in the facade.

"But Cagalli, I-!"

"I said leave me alone-!" before Cagalli could stand up and assault Kira, a loud beep stopped her. Kira took a second to recuperate, and looked at his phone.

_"Commander Yamato, the operation is commencing."_

"Alright, I'll meet you at the helicopter," by the time the call ended, Cagalli was already not in the room. The ultimate Coordinator sighed as he turned to leave for the helicopter.

* * *

The night was young. Or it is for Kira and the rest. Hell it was only like half to midnight. Only children will be asleep at this kind of time. The cold breeze of the night was so comfortable, it could make Kira Yamato sleep as he layed down under the night sky, clad in Voskhod 3's jet black combat outfit. Kira could still remember Lacus' face when he said he would want to take part in one of Voskhod 3's inception of the loose Librarian Works factions. But only with Karmen Valkyrie at his side as insurance.

"Do you guys usually do these kind of operations at night?"

"What you mean frontal assaults like these? Never. We're usually backstabbers," Karmen replied to Kira as the both of them hid under a ghillie blanket beneath the night sky somewhere in Afghanistan. It was truly Kira's first foot mission as a soldier, but he didn't worry though. With a full squad of super-soldiers at his side, who would?

"Well, I guess you guys know what you're doing if you're this confident," Kira smiled as he looked at a village downhill that was showing some interesting activity. Like a festival or something. But as expected, there were no women and children. It was one of the terrorist factions' locations, a target for Voskhod 3 to make them work under Lacus' flag.

_"This is the Overwatch, currently no outside forces located. All enemy are within the compound. Expect heavy resistance."_

"Callsign Ragnarok, we're mission launch. Lay down mortar fire."

_"Understood, mission launch."_

_"_Stay on my back, Commander Yamato..." Karmen said as she smiled revealing her sharp teeth, taking off the blanket in a single motion. The cool air blew past Kira's hair comfortably as pops from behind the group sent a hail of metal and fire down on the lone village, like a rain of punishment from God as the rest of the squad behind him took off their cover too, revealing deadly eyes with menacing aura.

"...This is the part where a boy turns into a man."

* * *

**AN:** Apologies for the late update! I was so busy improving my drawing skills that I almost forgot about the fanfic! D= Anyways, thanks for reading!

Thanks to **Voltage-Axe** (to which the battle scenes here and in the next chapter will be dedicated to!)and **Rouge-Impulstice1 **for staying with me through the building of this story! =D Hopefully the death of Athrun here does not set off a flame war or anything, not that I'd care XD Realism is a bitch, death can come anytime.

Also thanks to **BrownGandalf **and **Stranger-in-my-eyes **for favourite-ing this story! As well as **Peach-Diva **for following! You guys are my new favourite persons! XD


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